


Competing for Your Attention

by IdunAurora



Series: The Ice Prince and the Dragon Master [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Childhood, First Meetings, Fluff, Growing Up, M/M, Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon Journey, Prequel, Slow Burn, of sorts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2018-10-05 19:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 127,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10315793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IdunAurora/pseuds/IdunAurora
Summary: Viktor had always looked up to his parents, and above all to his mother, Sinnoh's Top Coordinator who swept through contests with her Sylveon like it was nobody's business. Of course, he admired his father, too, a skilled Ice Master that crushed his challengers left and right. Aspiring to one day become a coordinator like his mother, but with a special love for ice-types like his father, Viktor takes all the help he can get to one day reach the podium himself.Meanwhile, Yuuri didn't exactly aspire to become a dragon trainer since the age of three, but he did very much enjoy the company of the dragon Pokémon at the Yu-Topia Akatsuki dragon shelter his parents ran. It was only later when the idea was planted into his head by a visiting Dragon Master, and it was only when he watched junior coordinator Viktor Nikiforov compete in a televised event that Yuuri decided he would take on the Hoenn League challenge when he reached the age of ten.How else was he going to possibly impress the mesmerizing coordinator one day?Unbeknownst to Yuuri, he gained said coordinator's attention a lot earlier than he thought he did.Pokémon AU that spiraled out of control after my one-shot Type Advantage.





	1. Companions

**Author's Note:**

> This is the story of Viktor's way to reach the Master Rank in competitions while following Yuuri's path to become a Dragon Master, and Yuuri's journey through the Pokémon Leagues to become the youngest Dragon Master in history while following Viktor's career and seeing it flourish.
> 
> It's a slow burn in the sense that they will only meet later. Much later. It can be seen as a prequel to a story that doesn't yet exist (well, only as rough outlines on Scrivener and more complete in my head).
> 
> Anyhow, this is for all of you who requested more of Dragon Master Yuuri and Top Coordinator Viktor after Type Advantage, specifically their backstories and how they met. Will continue with how they went from there, leading up to the domesticity described in the first fic.
> 
> If you're impatient, you can read Type Advantage (domestic Viktuuri living with their adopted son in Lilycove) meanwhile: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9650414

The cold, biting mountain air blew chilly across the frozen lake, whirling up powdered snow that had fallen during the storm the past days. The breeze turned five-year-old Viktor’s cheeks a rosy red, and he couldn’t feel his toes or fingers anymore, but it was all worth it still. The snowstorm had lasted for days on end and he hadn’t been able to skate during that time, being confined to the insides of the Nikiforov family home, restless and bored. Watching reruns of his mother’s Pokémon Contests and playing with the family Swinub only got him so far.

Hence, when he finally got the chance to get back on the ice, he would stay there for as long as his body would allow it, and for as long as his father would let him.

“It’s getting dark, Vitya.” Alexander Nikiforov told his son as he skated up alongside him. “We have to head back to Snowpoint for today. You must be freezing.”

Viktor’s toes and fingers had indeed gone numb, but he didn’t pay them much mind. He blinked up at his father, finding an identical pair of aquamarine eyes looking back at him.

“Can we come back tomorrow?” he asked, then let out a surprised yelp and a fit of giggles in delight as hit father hoisted him up in the air and spun them around in an elegant pirouette before collecting Viktor into his embrace and skating towards the edge of the lake.

“Most likely.” Alexander grinned as he placed his son on a rock and proceeded to untie his skates without further ado. “Just like today, we’ll try to leave as soon as I return from the gym.”

“And mama?”

“Let’s ask her when we get home.”

Properly bundled up and with their skates securely in a backpack Viktor was carrying, Alexander hoisted him up to piggyback him back to Snowpoint City. Viktor was only five and they had stayed at Lake Acuity for far longer than usual, since he had been so restless for the past few days due to the storm, and hence had an immense amount of pent up energy to get rid of. Hugging his father’s shoulders tightly from behind, Viktor buried his face into Alexander’s jacket.

“Will mama be home when we get back?”

“She already messaged to tell us that dinner will be ready soon.” Alexander replied, adjusting Viktor’s legs a little to position him more properly. “She’s waiting for her little star to return home, she said.” He added, grinning, booping Viktor’s cold, red nose over his shoulder, making the child giggle gain.

“Papa!” he scolded through the laughter. His father merely chuckled fondly.

This was a side of Alexander Nikiforov that few got to experience. He was the leader of Snowpoint City Gym, and Ice Master that usually gave cocky challengers, young and old, a run for their money as they strode in with their fire-types looking for an easy win. Most of the time they left empty handed without a badge, stunned, and with a team of fainted and frozen-solid Pokémon that Alexander felt way more sorry for than their trainers. Sometimes, however, there were trainers who surprised him and actually earned the badge, and Alexander liked those challengers the most. He assessed every single one before the battle and treated them all equally right until the point when he was certain what kind of person, and trainer, he was dealing with. Then, he would treat them like he felt they deserved. Many found the Ice Master to have a heart of ice, but a few left the gym with the knowledge that he actually was a kind man with a strong sense of righteousness.

Even fewer left with the knowledge that he was an enormous dork.

But almost none got to see the man behind the gym leader. The loving husband with the most beautiful and talented wife in the world, and a son that looked like a perfect replica of his mother, except for the aquamarine eyes he had inherited from Alexander. Ekaterina, Viktor’s mother, was an enchanting Top Coordinator with an expertise in fairy-types, and Alexander had fallen head over heels for the silverette nymph years ago, when he attended a contest with his mother and saw her compete with her stunning Sylveon. Viktor’s hair was just as silvery and gleaming as hers, much to Alexander’s delight, and he was certain the boy would follow his mother into the world of contests one day.

He was his mother’s biggest fan, after all.

“Papa, look!”

Viktor’s exclamation pulled Alexander out of his thoughts, and he instinctively turned his head in the direction his son was pointing. He squinted slightly, frowning.

“It looks like a Pokémon…” he said slowly, already walking towards the immobile for in the snow by the side of the road. Viktor, growing impatient, jumped down from his back and ran straight over, sinking down onto his knees in the snow beside it.

“It’s an Eevee, papa!” he informed Alexander the second he reached them, kneeling down as well. “It’s still breathing.” Without hesitation, Viktor scooped up the small creature in his arms, making the Pokémon open its eyes ever so slightly and weakly cry out for help. Alexander checked its pulse, frown deepening.

“It’s not going to last at this rate.” He told his son, worry washing over him. “I don’t have any spare PokéBalls with me. I don’t know if it will make it to the Pokémon Center…”

Viktor’s eyes widened, his lower lip trembling as aquamarine gems watered.

“There must be _something_ , papa.” He said, voice cracking through a sob. “It’s injured and frozen. Please.”

Alexander swallowed, thinking hard. He looked from the Eevee to his son and back again, the Pokémon’s head having lolled to rest against his son’s chest, eyes closed and barely breathing. He wracked his brain for ideas.

There had to be something…

_Gasp!_

…and then it hit him.

“Hold on.” He told Viktor, opening the backpack on his back and rummaging through it frantically. “I might have a solution…”

Viktor started rocking slightly back and forth anxiously, cradling the Eevee to his chest. Alexander reached into an inner pocket of the backpack, feeling his way through the contents until his hand closed around something smooth and glass-like.

_Bingo!_

He pulled out the Ice Stone and handed it to Viktor.

“Let Eevee decide.” Alexander told his son, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Viktor gently took the stone and nodded decisively. The Eeevee opened its eyes again as Viktor held out the stone for it to see. It sniffed it weakly and cried out softly again. With what appeared to be the last of its physical strength, it raised its head slightly to nudge the hand holding the evolutionary stone. Alexander smiled slightly.

“That’s a yes.” He confirmed for Viktor. “If it gains resistance to the cold through the evolution, it will make it to the Pokémon Center. Go on,” he gave Viktor’s shoulder a squeeze, “place it on its chest.” Viktor nodded.

“Okay.”

 

“Is it going to be okay?” Viktor asked the pinkette nurse worriedly, biting his bottom lip anxiously as he watched Chansey send another Heal Pulse towards the unconscious Glaceon through the window to the treatment room. The nurse smiled kindly.

“Thanks to the evolution from a normal- to an ice-type, she’s going to be just fine.” She assured him. “She’ll wake up soon enough, and then you can take her home.”

Viktor turned his head to look up at the nurse, his expression lighting up instantly.

“It’s a female?” he asked the nurse for confirmation. She nodded. Viktor immediately turned to his dad. “I want to name her.” Alexander chuckled.

“You do that. She’ll want to go with you now, anyway.” He gave Viktor’s shoulder a squeeze, smiling fondly. “You saved her life.”

Viktor beamed, turning his gaze back to the Glaceon. His first companion. The first Pokémon he could call his.

“Katya.” He decided, nodding more to himself than to anyone else. “If she seems to like it, she will be Katya.”

 

**

 

The shiny Haxorus munched happily on the enormous dragon PokéPuffs the caretaker at the Unova Nature Preserve had provided it with, content enough not to mind the two guests watching it eat beside the staff member. Four-year-old Yuuri Katsuki stared at the beautiful, majestic dragon Pokémon in wonder while his father asked the caretaker all kinds of questions about the reserve, about all their dragons, and especially about the shiny Haxorus and its habits.

Yuuri would probably have made an effort to listen more closely if he hadn’t been absorbed with watching Haxorus down the last of the puffs in a few, large bites, before lying down to take a nap. He wasn’t unfamiliar with the Pokémon as such, as the Katsuki family had taken care of a Fraxure before that had evolved into a Haxorus at the Yu-Topia Akatsuki dragon shelter back in the small town of Hasetsu in Hoenn. However, it was the first time Yuuri had ever seen a shiny Haxorus, and a shiny Pokémon in general, and it was nothing short of amazing in his four-year-old mind.

“Yuuri,” his father Toshiya caught his attention, smiling down at his son, “let’s go. The Dragon Master in Opelucid City is expecting us in the afternoon.”

Yuuri blinked, biting his lip as he looked back at the snoozing dragon, sunlight reflecting in its steel-like scales and making it glimmer like polished iron. He didn’t want to leave yet. Toshiya Katsuki chuckled slightly, like he could hear his son’s thoughts, and knelt down next to him, a hand resting on his shoulder.

“Hey,” he said, gesturing to the camera around his neck, “I took some pictures for you, all right? You can pick a favorite and we can have it framed so you can have it in your room. Would you like that?”

Yuuri didn’t smile, but his chocolate eyes sparkled at his father’s words. Then, he nodded. The caretaker gave up a warm laugh.

“I’ll tell you what, Yuuri,” the blonde young woman said, catching the child’s attention, “we have some high-quality posters of Haxorus here back at the visitor center. You can have one for free, in exchange for your father’s expert advice on how to hande the Flygon we received here from Hoenn.”

This time, the smallest of smile grazed little Yuuri’s lips as he nodded again.

He left the Unova Nature Preserve with a poster neatly rolled up in his father’s bag.

 

“Your son certainly seems to be a natural with dragons.” Dragon Master Drayden told Toshiya, observing through a window overlooking the enormous backyard as the child had found himself a playmate in the form of a recently hatched Axew.

“Well, he does live at a dragon shelter.” Toshiya reminded him, pride swelling in his chest as he watched the tiny Pokémon poke Yuuri with a stick it had found, prompting him to play fetch. The boy understood immediately, taking the stick and holding it up in the air before throwing it a short distance away. The Axew sprinted after it, snatched it from the ground in its strong jaws and brought it back to Yuuri, who laughed happily and petted the Pokémon affectionately while nudging the stick from its mouth to throw it again.

“It shows.” Drayden nodded thoughtfully, crossing his arms in contemplation. “I wonder…” he paused, turning around, “Iris!”

“Yeah?” a girl, around ten years of age, replied, skipping into the room with a bright smile on her face, thick, indigo hair flying around everywhere around her. “What is it, uncle?”

Drayden motioned for her to come over, and she looked out the window curiously.

“The boy out there, Yuuri,” Drayden said, placing a hand on Iris’ shoulder, “go out and see how he and Axew are doing. It seems our newest addition to the dragon family has taken a liking in him.”

“So cute!” Iris grinned, clapping her hands together in delight. “I’m on my way!”

Toshiya didn’t even have time to blink before she was out the door in a whirlwind of purple, skipping towards Yuuri.

“He’s very shy…” he warily told Drayden, but the Dragon Master waved it off.

“Iris might be a ball of energy, but she’s a sweet girl. She can handle it.”

 

“Hi!”

Yuuri turned his head, Axew running around him in circles as he spotted a tanned girl with purple hair skipping towards him. He was about to scramble to his feet and apologize for going outside to play with the Axew when she plopped down right next to him with a bright smile on her face.

“You’re Yuuri, right?” she asked, tilting her head. “Looks like Axew has found a playmate!”

The Pokémon cried out happily and nudged Yuuri, who petted it instinctively, feeling confused.

“Um…” he swallowed, averting his gaze as he blushed, “…I-I’m sorry I came out here…”

“Why would you be sorry about that?” the girl laughed cheerfully. “I’m Iris, by the way. Do you like the little guy, Yuuri?”

She motioned towards Axew, who was now nipping at Yuuri’s jeans, trying to get his attention to play another round of anything. Yuuri couldn’t hold back the giggle that escaped him, as he was ticklish and the Pokémon was being utterly adorable. He found himself nodding as an answer to Iris’ question, and she giggled softly in turn.

“He likes you.” She stated as Axew gave up on eating Yuuri’s clothing and jumped up in his lap instead, nudging his hand and looking for behind-the-ear-scratches, which Yuuri immediately provided. “You should take him with you.”

Yuuri stilled mid-motion, frozen in place as his eyes grew wide.

“Wh-what?” he asked quietly, completely stunned.

“You should take Axew home with you.” Iris repeated, clarifying her statement, smile sun bright. “He’s attaching himself to you already. It would be cruel to separate you.”

“Iris is right.” Drayden’s low, rumbling voice came floating towards them as he and Toshiya approached, regarding Yuuri and Axew with interest. “After all, a Pokémon chooses its trainer as much as the other way around. What do you say, Toshiya?”

“I wholeheartedly agree.” Toshiya nodded, smiling. “You seem to have made a new friend, Yuuri.”

The boy was gaping, cradling a delighted Axew to his chest mostly unconsciously.

“I…” he blinked, worrying his bottom lip, “…I can… keep him?”

Drayden chuckled.

“Of course you can, boy. He’s hatched recently, I’ll give your father his file. Here,” he pulled out a PokéBall from his pocket and handed it to Yuuri, who took it gingerly into his palm, “that’s Axew’s ball. You can check if he wants to come with you by holding it out for him in your open palm and give him a choice of entering it himself.”

Yuuri looked at his father, who smiled and nodded reassuringly.

“Go on.”

Yuuri stared at the ball in his palm for a while, Axew watching him curiously. Somewhat hesitantly, he held it out towards the Pokémon in his open palm, presenting it to the small creature. The tiny dragon tilted its head, looking from Yuuri to the ball back and forth a couple of times. Then, suddenly, it gave up a happy “axew!” and nudged the ball, willingly entering it in a flash of red.

Yuuri gaped. Iris clapped her hands excitedly with enthusiasm while Toshiya and Drayden laughed heartily.

“He clearly wants to go with you, Yuuri.” The Dragon Master said. “I have no doubt you will take good care of him.”

Yuuri stared at the ball in his hand, completely baffled. Gently, he clutched it with both hands, holding it to his chest as a smile slowly spread on his face, cheeks dusting pink as his eyes sparkled.

“Thank you.”


	2. Companions II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor and Katya have been training together for four years, and Alexander thought it was time the Glaceon got a playmate and Viktor a second companion for the challenges ahead. Yuuri, meanwhile, has his world spun around with an evolution, a new team member, and a thought that gets stuck in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How Viktor and Yuuri gained their respective second team member.  
> Viktor is nine in his part of the story, Yuuri is six in his (meaning it takes place a year after Viktor's part, as Viktor is still four years older than Yuuri).  
> I'm in a complicated love-hate relationship with time skips.

The training court was filled with a thin veil of shimmering pink mist, a dazzling Sylveon standing right in the middle of it, proud and strong. The fairy quickly ran in a spiral around the court, making its ribbons dance around it elegantly with its moves.

“Beautiful, Sylveon!” her trainer called out in encouragement. “Now, use Tail Whip and then Fairy Wind!”

The Pokémon did as told, landing on all fours to flick her tail in a demand for attention, simultaneously whipping up a soft gust that swept through the room like spring breeze, shimmering diamonds breaking through the mist and dispersing the Misty Terrain the Sylveon had used to set the mood.

“Finish off with Dazzling Gleam and Sunny Day, then Charm!”

In a flash of pure white, the training court lit up briefly before becoming engulfed in golden light, Sylveon standing in the middle of the arena, finishing off the routine with a soft crooning “sylveon!”, tilting its head and blinking adorably with its big, baby-blue eyes. Viktor instinctively started clapping and the Pokémon preened at the attention, taking a bow in his direction before skipping over to her trainer, Ekaterina Nikiforov, who was already kneeling down with a PokéPuff in her hand.

“Good job, Sylveon.” She praised, standing up to face her son. “You see, Vitya, how you can use weather and terrain moves to set the mood. Katya is at her best in a snowy and icy environment; use that to your advantage. Why not give it a try?” Viktor nodded eagerly.

“Okay.” He said, and Katya the Glaceon took it as her cue to run out onto the court, waiting for instructions. Viktor pondered for a moment, then nodded decisively. “Okay, Katya, let’s try the new move with practiced last week! Use Frost Breath on the court and follow up with Aurora Veil!”

Katya complied instantly, breathing out tiny particles of ice that materialized as a mirror-blank layer of ice over the floor of the arena as he ran a lap around it to essentially make an ice rink. Then, she used Aurora Veil while gliding across the ice from one side to the other, covering it in a chilled shimmer of crystal.

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about.” Viktor’s mother nodded appreciatively. “Think about how you can use Katya’s creativity to your advantage. The point is to show her off as much as possible. Go with your gut instinct now.”

Viktor took a second to think.

“Katya, use Hail!”

“Good, now, how can you use the setting she has created?”

“Use Round and dance across the ice.”

Katya looked delighted by the suggestion, gliding elegantly across the ice, the hail creating a crystal shimmer around her, making her sparkle as she moved. Viktor took a moment to stare at his Pokémon in awe.

They had come a long way in four years.

Katya made eye-contact with him, clearly asking ‘what now?’. Viktor snapped out of his thoughts, willing himself to come up with a way to finish the improvised routine.

“Beautiful, Katya!” he praised to show her he was watching closely. “Use Icy Wind, then Ice Shard and a Quick Attack to follow it to the middle!”

The Pokémon complied, whipping up a chilly wind that dissolved the Aurora Veil and the hail. Then, she sent a single shard of ice to fly in front of it while playfully chasing after it with a Quick Attack. When the attack hit, the shard shattered into a million pieces of diamond dust, better than Viktor could have hoped it would. It caused his adrenaline to spike and his heart to beat faster in his chest.

“Finish off with a Tail Whip and Captivate!”

Katya twirled around on spot, demanding attention with her tail in the same manner Sylveon had, then finished off sitting on the ice like she belonged there (which she did), tilting her head back, eyes closed. Then she lowered it, looking over at Viktor who already had a PokéPuff in hand.

“Amazing, Katya!” he praised as she jumped up into his arms to munch down the treat and shower her trainer in cool kisses. “We will work on this, okay?” Katya mewled in confirmation, mouth still full of puff.

“That’s enough for today, Vitya.” Ekaterina told her son, giving him a proud smile as Sylveon proceeded to melt the ice with a strong Sunny Day. “We will certainly work more on this; the Aurora Veil was a very good decision.” She took a look at the clock on the wall. “Let’s get going, papa is returning from Alola tonight.”

The reminder made Viktor light up.

“Okay!” he agreed cheerily, following his mother towards the exit of the indoor training court, Sylveon catching up with them.

It was four years since he had found the injured Eevee in the snow, and four years since he has started training to become a coordinator under his mother’s guidance. Sometimes, when he wasn’t too busy, Alexander would step in and teach Viktor and Katya the basics of battling with ice-types, as well as helping him teach Katya new moves, but most of the time, it was just Viktor and Top Coordinator Ekaterina.

For the past three weeks, Alexander had been away on business in the Alola region, where some professor or other was sketching up plans on building an Alolan Pokémon League. Viktor’s father had been called in to give pointers for the ice-type battlefield for one of the future Elite four members, along with other Ice Masters like Glacia and Brycen. Tonight, he would finally return home, and he had told Viktor he would bring something for him when he did.

Hence, the boy was brimming with anticipation and excitement, eyes sparkling as he chased the two eeveelutions around in the snow the whole way home. Sometimes, time couldn’t seem to move fast enough.

 

“I’m home!”

“ _Papa!_ ”

Viktor all but tackled his father, almost reaching up to his chest by now, which said a lot considering that Alexander by no means was a short man. He chuckled and hoisted Viktor’s lithe form up with strong arms, grinning at him.

“I swear you’ve grown at least half a meter since I left.” Alexander stated, pulling him in for a hug, Viktor’s feet dangling above the floor as he laughed. “What is it you feed him when I’m away, my treasure?”

“That’s a secret.” Ekaterina winked, joining them to peck her husband on the lips. “Welcome home.”

“It’s good to be back.” Alexander smiled fondly at his wife, leaning down to kiss her again. “And is that pirozhki I smell?”

“Your favorite. I’ll just go finish up and dinner is served.”

“Wait just a second, jewel.” Viktor’s father stopped her, placing his son down on the floor. “You don’t want to miss this.” Ekaterina blinked.

“Oh?”

Alexander turned to Viktor, smiling mysteriously.

“I promised to bring our darling son something from Alola, didn’t I?” Alexander reminded them, taking off his jacket before reaching for his bag, zipping up a side pocket and holding it out to Viktor. “You pull it out yourself, sunshine.”

Trembling a little with excitement, Viktor reached into the pocket and closed his hand around a spherical object that felt all too familiar. He was gaping even before he pulled out the PokéBall from the bag, staring at it wide-eyed and stunned. His mother looked just as surprised as him, covering her mouth to barely hide a gasp.

Alexander nudged him gently.

“Let her out.” He smiled. “Go on.”

Viktor took a deep breath, tightening his grip on the red-and-white sphere momentarily. Then, he tossed it into the air. A beam of light shot out, briefly illuminating the foyer in white before it materialized into an adorable little…

“Vul-pix!”

Viktor gasped in awe, while his mother looked like she didn’t know whether to squeal, laugh or start asking her husband a lot of questions. She did neither of those things, and Viktor was too busy admiring the Pokémon to notice.

The small, Alolan ice-type cried out happily the moment she materialized, excitedly looking around. Viktor instinctively sank to his knees, eyes and mouth still wide, but he was smiling as he held out a hand for the Pokémon to sniff. The Vulpix tilted her head curiously and approached him, sniffing his hand and nudging it with a cold nose. Viktor took it as an invitation to pet her gently behind the ear, and laughed in joy and relief when he didn’t freeze his fingers as he did, meaning she accepted the touch.

“Hello, Vulpix.” He greeted her. The Pokémon repeated its name a few times in contentment, jumping up in Viktor’s lap to sniff and lick at his face affectionately. He giggled at the sensation, which felt like tiny ice-cubes were being placed on his skin and melting instantly. “You’re adorable!”

Vulpix seemingly preened at the praise, nuzzling her cheek into Viktor’s touch.

“Let her meet Katya.” Alexander told his son. “The sooner, the better.”

Viktor nodded in confirmation that he had heard, calling Katya’s name to wake her up. It was better that way than to bring the newcomer over to the Glaceon’s ice-cooler where she usually chose to sleep after a long day, as it wouldn’t be wise to bring a stranger directly into her territory.

There was a rustle from Viktor’s bedroom and soft tapping of paws against the wooden floor as Glaceon made a beeline for the foyer, only to slow down and warily look at the new Pokémon in her trainer’s lap. Vulpix spotted Katya in turn and looked at Viktor, then to Katya again while sniffing the air, probably sensing Viktor’s smell on the Glaceon. Viktor gently placed Vulpix on the floor and beckoned for Katya to come closer.

“This is Katya.” He told his new companion. “Katya, meet your new playmate, Vulpix.”

Seeing that her trainer approved of the newcomer, Katya approached while Vulpix stayed close to Viktor for reassurance and security. Slowly, very slowly, Katya came all the way up to them, sniffing the air and the newcomer. Vulpix instinctively did the same with the Glaceon, seemingly relaxing when confirming that Katya indeed smelled like her new trainer.

“Vul-pix?” she tried, a little hesitant and more curious. Katya tilted her head.

“Glaa-ceon.” She mewled softly, tilting her head to other side. Vulpix perked up.

“Vul-pix?” she sounded hopeful.

Katya nudged her carefully, making Vulpix blink. Then, she booped their noses together before jumping back playfully. Vulpix gave up a delighted cry and chased after the Glaceon, running straight through the hatch in the door that led to the backyard to play around in the snow with her new friend. Viktor and Ekaterina giggled, and Alexander chuckled heartily.

“Well, that went brilliantly.” He concluded, pecking his wife on the cheek, an arm around her waist.

“Oh, just wait until the cutie evolves into a Ninetales.” Ekaterina sighed, smiling. “Coordinators everywhere will be falling to their knees.”

“An Alolan Vulpix doesn’t evolve naturally, though.” Alexander reminded her. “When she’s ready to evolve, we have to go to Alola and present an Ice Stone to her. Viktor will know when the time is right.” Viktor picked up on what his father was telling him.

“So we’ll all visit Alola in the future?” he immediately asked, eyes sparkling. He had heard a lot of stories about the region of the sun and the moon, and in his ears, it sounded like paradise. “To evolve Vulpix when she’s ready?”

Alexander looked at his wife, who in turn looked at Viktor. She nodded.

“When she’s ready.” She repeated, smiling reassuringly. “Let’s start training with her soon, Vitya, but for now, let’s have dinner.”

 

**

 

“Axew, use Dragon Dance!”

The dragon Pokémon complied, jumping up and spinning in the air, raising his attack and speed for the fifth time that afternoon. He was steeling himself, excited knowing what his trainer was going to tell him next. The command came the exact moment he landed:

“Good job, Axew, now use Dragon Claw on the dummy!”

“Ax- _ewww!_ ”

The Pokémon gave up a, in his own mind, fierce battle-cry (that his trainer found incredibly adorable) before lunging forward, claws sharp to chop the wooden dummy up. He attacked it viciously, claws flashing as one piece of wood soon turned into two, then four, then eight clean pieces before jumping back, standing on his hind-legs in triumph. His trainer cheered and clapped and Axew sprinted over to him, jumping up in his arms to shower the boy with affection.

Yuuri laughed as he cradled his Pokémon to his chest, hugging him tightly.

“Well done, Axew!” he praised, sinking to his knees to place the dragon in his lap. He pulled out a PokéPuff from his pocket, holding it up in the air. “Catch!”

He threw it and Axew chased it, jumping up to catch it in his strong jaws, munching it down happily as he returned to Yuuri’s side, nudging him gently. _Pet me!_ Yuuri smiled fondly and complied, gently scratching at the soft fur around his neck. Axew let out a long, content sigh.

“Axewww…”

Yuuri blinked.

A faint glow shimmered like a pale blue aura around Axew, who was looking up at his trainer with wide, pleading eyes. Yuuri barely held back a gasp.

“Are you ready to evolve, Axew?”

The Pokémon nudged him again, leaning his cheek into Yuuri’s palm for comfort.

“Ax-eww…!”

“It’s okay, Axew.” Yuuri soothed the dragon, trying to remember what his father and mother usually did when other Pokémon as the shelter wanted to evolve. He looked Axew directly in the eye and petted him fondly. “If you want to evolve, go ahead. I’ll help you.”

“Ax… ew?”

Yuuri smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner.

“I’ll be right here with you, Axew.” He promised, willing his heart to stop hammering against his rib-cage to be able to calm the Pokémon down. “Don’t be afraid. We do it together.”

Something shifted in the dragon’s crimson eyes, and he mewled softly, not sounding scared. If anything, he sounded determined. Yuuri took that determination to heart and smiled encouragingly.

“Whenever you’re ready, Axew.”

 

“Is that your son over there, Hiroko?”

“Ah, yes, that’s Yuuri.” Hiroko Katsuki smiled, turning around. Then, she dropped the empty feeding bottle she was holding in surprise. “Oh!”

“Indeed.” Drake, leader of the Hoenn League Elite Four nodded, watching as the six-year-old boy gently coaxed his tiny, glowing Axew through his first evolution with the touch of an experienced dragon breeder. “He seems to know what he’s doing. Has he helped out during evolutions before?”

“Not really.” Hiroko admitted, a little breathless. “But he has watched me and Toshiya do it, of course, countless of times. It’s inevitable that he has picked something up.” Drake nodded thoughtfully.

“He’s doing really well...”

The two adults watched with growing amazement as the Axew engulfed in light, taking the shape of a Fraxure that was now taller than Yuuri from where he was still sitting on his knees. The Pokémon broke out of the evolution with a loud cry, and Yuuri immediately sat up straighter, rising to stand on his knees so he was eye-level with Fraxure, hands on both sides of the dragon’s face, obviously attempting to soothe it with words and gentle caresses. Gradually, the dragon started to relax as Yuuri carefully petted it, letting his hands roam the Pokémon’s body fully so Fraxure would have some help in getting to know the physical boundaries of its new form. The technique was straight out of a handbook on basic-to-first-stage-Pokémon.

Drake furrowed his brows.

“Would you mind if I gave him something?” he asked Hiroko. Yuuri’s mother turned her gaze to him, smiling curiously.

“What is ‘something’?”

 

Fraxure finally sat down and accepted the PokéPuff Yuuri handed him, trying to get used to his new paws as he grabbed the treat and started to eat, looking relieved as he realized it wasn’t so hard to coordinate paw-to-jaw after all. Yuuri sat in front of the dragon, admiring his new form while continuously reminding the Pokémon (and himself) that they were both still the same: Pokémon and trainer. Companions. A team.

“You did very well with his evolution, Yuuri.”

Yuuri turned his head, jaw dropping.

“M-master Drake!” he gasped, and was about to get up and bow when he realized the movement could potentially startle the edgy Fraxure and remained where he was instead. “Good day, sir.” Drake smiled.

“No need for formalities, Yuuri, just call me Drake.” He assured him, kneeling down next to the boy. “I repeat what I said, you did a good job at helping Axew with his evolution just now. It was very impressive.”

Yuuri’s eyes widened behind blue-rimmed glasses as he blushed furiously.

“Th-thank you, sir, uh, D-Drake.” He corrected himself, turning impossibly redder. Drake’s smile only widened as he reached into an inner pocket of his black coat and pulled out a PokéBall.

“This little fellow in here,” he said, holding out the ball for Yuuri to take, “he hatched at the League a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been looking for a good home for him, and I daresay I think I’ve found the perfect trainer and caretaker.” He placed the ball in Yuuri’s hand when the boy hesitated. “No need to be shy. Let him out and say hi.”

“O-okay.”

Yuuri bit his lip, a little nervous, still petting Fraxure with his other hand as the newly evolved dragon nuzzled his trainer, seeking comfort and curiously looking at the ball in his hand. Taking a deep breath, Yuuri threw the ball into the air. A flash of red-turning-white light shot out of the ball, taking the form of something bigger than an Axew, but definitely smaller than a Fraxure.

A Bagon materialized, crying out immediately as it realized it had been released from its confinement and immediately approached Yuuri, tracing his freedom back to him. Yuuri placed the PokéBall on the ground to hold out his hand for the dragon to sniff, palm up and inviting.

Seconds later, he was scratching Bagon right under the chin, the Pokémon closing its eyes in contentment. Fraxure regarded the newcomer curiously, distracted from the shock of his evolution as he was too busy watching Bagon accept his trainer as his. The dragon then moved around Yuuri to nudge Fraxure with its hard head, promptly sitting down beside him.

“Bagon!” the Pokémon said sternly.

Fraxure blinked in surprise, tensing briefly before he relaxed.

“Fraa-xure.”

Fraxure laid down on the ground and Bagon leaned back against its side, making himself comfortable, and Fraxure allowed it without complaint. Yuuri gaped at the display while his mother giggled fondly. Drake, however…

“How old are you, Yuuri?”

The boy turned his gaze to the Dragon Master.

“Six.” Drake nodded.

“You’re going to turn ten in four years, then. I think I dare suggest, with the way you treat and train your Pokémon, that you should consider taking on the Hoenn League Challenge when the time comes.”

Yuuri’s head was spinning with all too many new thoughts on top of everything that had already transpired during the day. Evolution included.

“To… to become a… Pokémon trainer?”

“Well, you already are, aren’t you?” Drake pointed out with a chuckle. “You obviously have the potential, with the love you so willingly and freely give your companions. You would make a great dragon trainer, and mind you, dragon Pokémon are the hardest type to manage. At least something to think about, no? You have at least four years, after all.”

The Dragon Master left Yuuri with a Bagon and a lot to think about.


	3. Viktor the Coordinator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor and Katya participate in their first junior contest and Viktor's road to become a coordinator takes a long step forward, as it should when he has reached the age of ten. Two years later, he gains the attention of a certain bespectacled, raven-haired boy, and Yuuri makes a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, time skips!  
> In Viktor's part, he's ten years old. In Yuuri's part, Viktor is twelve and Yuuri is eight.  
> This isn't confusing at all...

“This is it, Katya.” Viktor breathed, trembling in anticipation and excitement. “Our first competition!”

He clutched his Glaceon to his chest while the Pokémon mewled softly, resting her head against Viktor’s shoulder for mutual comfort. Ekaterina placed a hand on his other shoulder, smiling encouragingly.

“Stick to the program and do just like in practice, and you’ll be just fine.”

Viktor nodded, looking around at the other junior coordinators in the performers’ backstage area. It would be his first time taking part in a contest, a junior event that would be taking place right before the actual Contest Spectacular in Lilycove City in Hoenn, which his mother in turn would be entering in the Master Rank. The junior event was only meant for children younger than twelve years of age, therefore including ten-year-old Viktor, and unlike the actual contest, it wasn’t televised. He would be competing in the first group of eight participants, from which only one would advance further to the second and final round: the battle. Viktor had decided he would use Katya for both, since he had been training her for five years already while Vulpix only had been with him for a year.

Ekaterina gave his shoulder a squeeze.

“I’ll be here, and your father’s in the front row.” She reminded him. “We’re watching. You and Katya can do this together, Vitya.”

Viktor only nodded again, steeling himself.

This was Katya’s time to shine.

 

When the announcer called him and Katya onto the arena, Viktor took a deep breath before entering the stage in a flurry of diamond dust that Glaceon created using Frost Breath and Icy Wind. His mother had made sure his outfit would compliment Katya, the costume tailored and designed in Glaceon’s shades of cool blue, his silver hair pulled back into a ponytail and fastened with a darker blue ribbon in the same color as the tip of Katya’s tail. The Nikiforov name made the audience cheer louder than for the coordinators before him and Viktor felt a boost of confidence, clashing with the rapidly rising pressure and nervousness.

To the audience, he was the son of Top Coordinator Ekaterina Nikiforov.

He had a name to live up to if he wanted to make a name for his own.

How he had time to realize this while giving the audience a dazzling smile and wave he had no idea.

Katya took center stage while Viktor kept at a proper coordinator distance, giving her the spotlight like his mother had taught him to do while still keeping close enough for contact. He knew Katya had memorized the routine by heart, and his job now was to guide her through it and make sure to give her the right cues at the right moments.

He had to focus on Katya. If she was within his field of vision at all times, then she would be visible to the audience as well.

They made eye contact.

_Set the mood._

“Katya, use Frost Breath, then Aurora Veil!”

Nothing else mattered but Katya and their choreography. She swiftly froze the floor of the Contest Hall and used the Aurora Veil to create a light, shimmering fog right on top of it, whisking up swirls of mist as she danced across the ice. On cues from Viktor, she created ice sculptures and dazzling illusions using ice and snow, her bravado being a beautiful ice flower she had managed to piece together using Ice Shard, then shattering it into diamond dust with a Quick Attack. Finally, she swept the Aurora Veil away with Icy Wind, making it swirl up and dissipate before settling on top of the ice crystal she had left in the center of the arena, settling down to use Captivate last.

And then, it was already over.

Viktor only realized as much when the Lilycove City Contest Hall erupted in cheers and standing ovations. A bright, almost surprised smile spread on his face as he and Katya took their bows before the Pokémon sprinted back to her trainer and jumped straight into his arms. Viktor praised her freely while feeding her a rainbow PokéBlock, waiting nervously for the judges’ verdict.

He was the last to perform in his heat, and he needed at least 21 points out of 30 to make it to the second round. He held his breath as the announcer inquired the judges to reveal their scores.

7-8-8

“Viktor and Katya score a total of 23 points, meaning they advance to the battle round. Congratulations!”

Viktor’s smile could have outshone the sun.

 

“Remember to relax, Vitya.” Alexander reminded his son during the break before the battle. “Your opponent used a Spoink in the first round and might likely be using the same Pokémon in the second round, too, but keep an eye out. You don’t have any ghost- or bug-type moves in Katya’s roster, but you have Bite, so try and use that if you can get close enough. Also, you have a first stage Pokémon. A Spoink is still a basic, meaning its stats are naturally lower. Katya has excellent special attack and defense, but she is quite slow. Don’t think about using speed here; go on defense and then use her strongest special attacks to your advantage. If you can get in a Bite, you can use that, but attack isn’t really her forte either.”

“Okay.” Viktor exhaled slowly, trying to remember everything Alexander had attempted to teach him so far. Battling just didn’t come as naturally to him as coordinating, but if he wanted to advance in the world of contests, he needed to be able to do both.

“Oh, and mentally prepare for the possibility that Spoink has the Thick Fat ability.” Alexander added as an afterthought. “It halves the damage from ice- and fire-type moves. If ice doesn’t seem to be working well, try using those moves for defense and use normal special attacks for offense instead. Round and Echoed Voice used in succession are your friends.”

“How can I test that?” Viktor found himself asking. “How do I find out if Spoink has the Thick Fat ability?”

“Use Frost Breath right at the start, like in your routine. If the ice doesn’t stick to its fur, you have to rethink your strategy.” He patted Viktor’s shoulder. “You can do this.”

“Glaa-ceon!”

Viktor grinned, nodding.

“Yes, we can.”

“Kelly Jacqueline and Viktor Nikiforov, you’re up next!”

 

Viktor considered himself lucky that the Spoink didn’t appear to have the Thick Fat ability. He also considered himself lucky that the tiny, bouncing ball with a snout was a basic Pokémon and not its first stage evolution, Grumpig, because it certainly gave Glaceon a hard time with its psychic-type illusions already. Having used Calm Mind and Double Team, the latter twice, Viktor had taken a moment to run through some of his father’s advice in his head before ordering Glaceon to fling Ice Shards on the many Spoinks to pinpoint which was the actual Pokémon. Once found, Viktor focused on turning the battlefield into an ice haven for Glaceon to use more easily. The bouncing Pokémon slipped on the ice, making his trainer lose points for clumsy execution.

Kelly, Viktor’s opponent, countered by making Spoink shatter the ice with a Zen Headbutt and use the momentary confusion to attack Katya with a Psybeam, but she dodged at the last second, making Viktor breathe out a small sigh of relief.

The battle lasted for a good ten minutes, which was quite standard in a junior contest, ending with a paralyzed Katya managing to break through the inconvenience to use Frost Breath, the effect of which was amplified by the Hail she had summoned earlier. Spoink slipped on the frozen ground, making the attack hit it dead on, causing the Pokémon to faint.

Viktor immediately glanced up at the scoreboard. He had won, but the question was whether his, or rather Katya’s, performance had been good enough to beat Kelly and Spoink in the end.

Biting his lip in anticipation, he went to gather a still paralyzed Katya into his arms, feeding her a cheri berry to cure the inconvenient status condition. Cradling her to his chest as she recovered, he turned to watch the scoreboard again.

The final results were in…

Kelly - 22 + 17 = 39

Viktor - 23 + 20 = 43

His jaw hit the floor as the Lilycove Contest Hall erupted in cheers.

He had won.

He still could scarcely believe he had taken the victory in his very first contest ever, standing on top of the podium with Katya in his arms, Kelly and her Spoink to his right. Viktor couldn’t stop smiling through the whole ceremony, waving enthusiastically to the crowd while Katya preened at the attention, basking in it like she was born to be there. Perhaps she was.

When the Head Judge fastened the Junior Contest Spectacular-ribbon in his Ribbon Case, his chest swelled with overwhelming emotion. Internally, however, he breathed out a silent sigh of relief.

He had lived up to the Nikiforov name. Now he only had to work hard to put ‘Viktor’ in front of it.

 

“Well done, Vitya.” Alexander patted his son fondly on the shoulder before pulling him in for a hug. “You set the bar unusually high for a junior event. That ribbon was well deserved.”

“Thanks, papa.” Viktor grinned, letting Vulpix out of her PokéBall to let her and Katya run around for a while, the Glaceon still running high on adrenaline. “We had fun.”

“It showed.” Ekaterina smiled as she reached them, embracing Viktor in turn. “Katya was positively glowing out there.”

“You should consider teaching Katya some ghost-type move or something equally surprising, though.” Alexander pondered, placing a thoughtful finger on his chin. “I think she’s able to learn Shadow Ball, if you use a TM, for example. The more diverse her move-set is, the better.”

“I agree.”

The family of three turned around, and Ekaterina’s face broke into a dazzling smile.

“Wallace!” she exclaimed, separating herself from Viktor in order to give her fellow Top Coordinator a hug. “It’s so good to see you!”

“Likewise, Katyusha.” Wallace smiled charmingly, reaching out to shake Alexander’s hand. “And it’s been even longer since we last met, Sasha. How have you been?” Alexander chuckled.

“The usual, Wallace, busy at the gym. You look well; it seems being both a coordinator and a gym leader isn’t taking too much of a toll on you.”

“Not really.” The coordinator smiled widely, ocean eyes sparkling in the same color as his turquoise hair. “I can deal with it pretty well, it’s not like I have too many challengers in Sootopolis.” He then turned to Viktor, reaching out his hand towards him. “Hi there, Viktor. I’m Wallace; it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Of course Viktor knew who Wallace was. There was no way one could pursue a career as a coordinator and not know who the Sootopolitan legend was. He took the Water Master’s hand to shake, gazing up at one of his biggest heroes in awe.

“Nice to meet you, too, Mister Wallace.” He replied, willing his voice to keep steady despite his head going at a million miles an hour. “I… I’m a huge fan of yours.”

Wallace’s smile turned impossibly brighter, his eyes widening slightly in surprised delight.

“That’s good to hear, because I was just going to tell you I became a fan of yours today when I saw you compete with your lovely Katya. It was stunning, so refreshing to see something new and unique, just like your mother always seems to be able to surprise. I loved it!”

Viktor’s jaw dropped to the floor for the second time in the span of an hour.

“Th-thank you!” he managed to squeak, making the three adults chuckle fondly.

“Actually, Viktor, Katyusha, Sasha,” Wallace continued, looking at all of them in turn, “I came here with a proposition.”

Viktor’s parents shared a glance while the Sootopolitan waited for a ‘go ahead’.

“We’re all ears.” Ekaterina replied kindly. Wallace nodded, resting his chin on his knuckles thoughtfully.

“I’m currently mentoring my niece, Lisia, in the art of coordinating, and I’m looking for another student to train and spar with her.” He revealed, getting straight to the point. “An I know that Viktor here would get all the help he could ever ask for from the two of you, but how would you feel about the idea of letting him train under my guidance together with Lisia? That is, if Viktor and the both of you would be comfortable with him moving to Sootopolis.”

The proposition left Viktor completely stunned, but neither of his parents looked either too surprised or fazed, merely thoughtful. Viktor was ten years of age, after all, the age where many a child left their childhood home to choose their own paths, whether it was challenging gyms, traveling around for contests or going farm to farm to learn from breeders.

Ekaterina placed a hand on Viktor’s shoulder, grounding him.

“It would be good for Vitya to get another perspective on competing and battling than only from us, wouldn’t it, Sasha?” she reasoned with her husband. “We’ve been training with him for five years. I’m sure Wallace’s guidance could open new doors for him.”

Alexander hummed, mulling it over in his head.

“I agree with Katyusha,” he finally decided, nodding slightly, “but the decision has to be Vitya’s in the end.” He looked down at his son, coaxing him to meet his gaze. “Would you be comfortable with the thought of living with Wallace in Sootopolis in order to advance in the contest world? So you can enter the Normal Rank in two years’ time?”

Viktor bit his bottom lip in thought.

He thought about it for the remaining two weeks of the Contest Spectacular.

A month later, Viktor moved to Hoenn.

 

**

 

_“And for the final contender of the fourth and final qualifying group, from Snowpoint City in Sinnoh, we have Viktor Nikiforov and his adorable Alolan Vulpix take the stage. This is Top Coordinator Ekaterina’s son’s debut in the Contest Spectacular, after sweeping his way through the junior events for the past two years, and the expectations are high. He has been mentored by his parents, Ekaterina and Ice Master Alexander Nikiforov, since he was five, and two years ago he moved to Sootopolis City in Hoenn to train under Top Coordinator Wallace.”_

Eight-year-old Yuuri’s eyes widened in awe as a lithe boy with hair like a cascade of starlit silver entered the stage together with a beautiful Alolan Vulpix, diamond dust dancing around them in intricate patterns, the Vulpix flicking her tail in sync with the boy flicking his long ponytail. He was obviously dressed to match his Pokémon, his outfit made in white and silver fabric with decorations on his shoulders that resembled Vulpix’s fluffy tail. Yuuri barely registered Bagon gnawing away on the PokéPuffs in his hand as he watched the young coordinator step aside to let his Pokémon take center stage.

The Contest Hall fell silent and Yuuri found himself holding his breath.

The boy was absolutely stunning.

And so was the performance.

_“Vulpix, use Powdered Snow.”_

Viktor’s voice sounded soft, more a request than a demand, and the Vulpix complied immediately, creating the illusion it was snowing on the arena. The coordinator then followed up with asking her to do an Aurora Veil and an Aurora Beam, and together, it made it look like the northern lights were illuminating the stage that was all Vulpix’s to claim.

The audience gasped and cheered as Viktor expertly coaxed his Pokémon through the routine that was as refined as the most intricately cut crystal. Together, they performed with an elegance and a beauty never before seen in the Normal Rank. Or that was what the announcer said at least.

With a stunning score of 26/30, Viktor easily made it to the next round, going into battle with the coordinator in second place to compete for the victory. He entered the battle with a stunning Glaceon and gave his opponent a run for her money, as Wallace’s niece Lisia was competing with a Swablu and was at a clear disadvantage. In the end, Viktor and his Pokémon stood at the top of the podium, accepting a Normal Ribbon in his Ribbon Case and an enormous bouquet of blue roses in his hands. All the while, he was smiling brightly and waving while the announcers showered him in praises.

Yuuri could barely hear them. He was too focused on the silver-haired boy that had managed to enchant him in a matter of seconds and held his interest for the rest of the competition. He hadn’t been able to look away.

He made up his mind.

One day, he wanted to meet Viktor. If he was going to do that, he needed to impress Viktor in the same way that Viktor had impressed him. But Yuuri was no coordinator, so he had to stick to what he knew instead.

He would take up the challenge. In two years time, he would challenge the Hoenn League, taking the path Drake had suggested two years prior.

The path to become a dragon trainer.


	4. Yuuri the Dragon Trainer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After two years of intense training with Wallace and Lisia, Viktor is moving again to learn from a legend. But this chapter focuses more on Yuuri, who is now entering the Hoenn League (Gym) challenge.

“Take care of yourself, Vitya.” Wallace told him fondly, embracing his soon-to-be ex-student. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Feel free to be in touch whenever you need or feel like it.” Viktor discreetly wiped away a small tear that threatened to spill from the corner of his eye.

“Thank you,” he managed, voice muffled against the fabric of Wallace’s cape, “for everything.”

The second they parted, a whiff of ocean blue hair blocked Viktor’s field of vision as Lisia flung herself at him, hugging him tightly with her head buried into his shoulder.

“This isn’t goodbye, Vitya,” she promised, “I’ll still be there to kick your ass next time.” Viktor couldn’t help but grin.

“We’ll see about that, princess.” He teased back as they separated. “I expect you to continue giving me and my darlings a run for our money in the future too, though.”

“You bet I will.” Lisia grinned, resting a hand on her hip. “I’ll see you in Lumiose in a few months.”

“Till then.” Viktor nodded in acknowledgement. Wallace seconded the gesture.

“Listen to Madame Lilia.” He gave Viktor as last second advice. “She doesn’t have a contest cup named after her for nothing. And heed Mister Yakov’s teachings as well, he’s a skilled Ice Master after having run the Snowbelle City Gym for so long. You have much to learn from them, and you’ll go far under their guidance. And…” he pulled out a PokéBall from his pocket and offered it to Viktor, “…take care of her, too, will you? You’ve ridden on her back across the waters of Sootopolis for two years now; it would be cruel to separate you.”

Viktor’s chest swelled with emotion and tears of joy, nostalgia and melancholy watered his eyes for a moment as he realized whose PokéBall he had been given: the motherly Lapras that had taken care of him and transported him all around Sootopolis since the very day he arrived. Beginning to grow up to match his mother's tendency for dramatics, he kissed the PokéBall with a promise and held it to his chest, silver tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.

“I will.”

 

And so, Viktor found himself on a plane to Kalos, headed for Snowbelle City and Madame Lilia’s villa. Under her guidance, he would be training choreography and communication, and the gym leader of Snowbelle City, Madame Lilia’s ex-husband Yakov, would coach Viktor in battling. Here he was, thirteen years old and had already caught the attention of one of the most prominent Top Coordinators of all time.

He had to make the most of it, for Katya and Vulpix’s sake if no one else's. Well, their and his own.

 

**

 

Yuuri’s shoulders tensed and hunched with anxiety and his hands balled into fists as he willed his breathing to slow down and his heart to stop beating harshly against his rib-cage. He bit his bottom lip hard, close to drawing blood as he stared at the looming building in front of him, rounded and sturdy with a brown and golden gym sign above the glass doors.

Ultimately, Bagon got impatient with his trainer and bumped his hard head into Yuuri’s leg to snap him out of it. Yuuri took a deep breath and concentrated on Bagon's claws sinking into the fabric of his tracksuit pants instead.

“All right, Bagon, Fraxure,” he steeled himself for the sake of his Pokémon, feeling a little more determined albeit nauseous, “this is it. Our first gym.”

Rustboro City Gym wasn’t too far from Hasetsu, so Yuuri had decided to start the Hoenn League challenge there. The current gym leader specialized in rock-types, and as they were neutral in type effect to dragons and vice versa, Yuuri had decided that if he and his companions weren’t good enough to pass the test, they would return to Hasetsu and train some more before trying again. He wouldn’t even think of moving on to bigger challenges before taking down at least two gym leaders specializing in types that should be neutral effective both ways.

According to his father’s suggestions, he kept Fraxure in his PokéBall for the time being and entered the gym with only Bagon by his side, willing his feet to move forward even though all the blood had rushed down to his legs in a flight attempt, leaving his face paper white. He was sure he looked sick.

“Welcome to Rustboro Gym!” the attendant greeted him immediately, smiling brightly and not commenting on Yuuri’s meek appearance. “Are you new to the Hoenn League challenge?”

Bagon’s claws scraping against his skin grounded Yuuri enough to form a reply.

“Um, yes.”

The attendant beamed.

“Excellent!” he chirped, clasping his hands together excitedly. “Then you need a Badge Case, let me get one for you… ah!” Yuuri barely had time to blink before the energetic, middle-aged man turned around, reached over and behind the counter and pulled out a black velvet box the size of a Wii-game. “There you go; show this to the attendant at every gym you visit after this, all right?” the boy merely had time to nod before the man rapidly continued: “Right! Since this is your first gym, you’ll be going up against two of the younger ace trainers in one-on-one battles, and if you make it past them, you’ll be allowed to challenge the gym leader, Roxanne. Now, how many Pokémon are you carrying?”

“T-two.”

“Then she’ll challenge you with two Pokémon of her own, and the ace trainers with one each.” The attendant noted the information on his tablet. “And what would your name be, young man? I’ll register you for the League challenge right now, and then print you a Trainer Card while you’re battling.”

“Oh, thank you.” Yuuri breathed out in a moment of relief, as he hadn’t been entirely sure how to get himself a Trainer Card and a proper registration. “Yuuri Katsuki.” The attendant cocked an eyebrow curiously.

“Katsuki? As in the Katsuki’s who run the dragon shelter in Hasetsu?” Yuuri nodded in confirmation, not trusting himself to speak too much. The attended smiled brightly. “That explains the Bagon, I was wondering how it was possible for you to have such a rare Pokémon with you, and a _dragon_ nonetheless. Only found in Meteor Falls, right?” He didn't really wait for an answer, instead tapping something into his pad again, looking satisfied. “Well, there you go, Yuuri, all registered! I’ll print the Trainer Card, stop by me on your way out, all right? Whenever you’re ready, head straight through the door there to the trainer battle area, and your opponent will join you shortly along with a judge. Do you need hints as to the advantages for the challenge?”

“Not really.” Yuuri replied quietly, shaking his head. “I-I’m aware.”

“I had a hunch.” The attendant smiled, gesturing to the door in front of them. “Good luck.”

Yuuri’s stomach turned into a tight knot that turned into solid lead as he nodded, and then lifted Bagon up in his arms for comfort and headed towards the double doors to the gym trainer battle court. He put all his faith in his Pokémon for the battles, as his faith in himself was rapidly dropping to below zero.

 

Yuuri still couldn’t fathom that he was standing on the gym leader's battle court, which was covered in rocks and hard ground. Somehow, he had made it past the two ace trainers, even if he had to use a Super Potion to help Bagon recover afterwards, and now, he was standing on the opposite side of the main battle court from gym leader Roxanne, who looked terribly intimidating in Yuuri’s eyes. She was one of the youngest Rock Masters of all time, and the fire in her eyes as she assessed her opponent was enough to have Yuuri’s hands trembling slightly, balling into fists.

Without Bagon by his side and Fraxure close by in his PokéBall, there was no way Yuuri would have been able survive even the first obstacle on his Hoenn League challenge. He would probably have died from lack of oxygen and heart-failure, or in other words, from the anxiety spreading through his brain like weeds and filling his whole self with a doubt so strong he felt physically ill.

Roxanne cleared her throat, making him snap out of it.

“This is your first gym challenge, so I will be using Pokémon that should be in the proximity of your Pokémon's skill level to be able to beat, but they are well trained and I won’t go easy on you.” She told him without further ado, pulling a PokéBall from her belt. “You ready?”

Yuuri found himself nodding.

“This is a one-on-one battle between Gym Leader Roxanne and challenger Yuuri Katsuki.” The judge announced, standing up on a podium by the sidelines for a better view. “The opponents have a total of two Pokémon each. The Gym Leader sends out her Pokémon first and the battle begins on my whistle.”

“Let’s get going, then.” Roxanne stated, tossing the PokéBall in her hand into the air. “Geodude, you’re up!”

The flying rock with a face and arms materialized by the center of the court, letting out a battle cry to show it was pumped up and ready to fight. Yuuri steeled himself.

“Go, Bagon.” He told his companion. “You start.”

Happy to be able to please his trainer, Bagon sprinted to the middle of the field as well, stopping right opposite the Geodude, measuring its competition.

“Ready?” the judge asked, looking from Roxanne to Yuuri and their steel-determined expressions. “One, two…!”

He blowed the whistle.

“Geodude, use Defense Curl!” Roxanne immediately ordered with a speed Yuuri couldn’t hope to match.

“Bagon, use Focus Energy!” he decided, desperately trying to remember what he had learned at the trainer’s school about rock-types and Geodude. He at least remembered that Geodude was a rock- and ground-type, meaning it had more weaknesses than a regular rock-type. Essentially being a rock, Yuuri also seemed to recall Geodude to have high defense, so using physical attacks would probably damage and tire out Bagon more than the opponent.

But maybe its special defense weren’t as high?

“Geodude, use Rock Tomb!”

“Dodge, Bagon, use Headbutt!”

Despite having been through two battles already, Bagon stayed sharp. He quickly dove to the side, hitting one of the rocks trying to cover him with his hard head and smashing it to pieces, to Yuuri’s relief, sending the damage back towards Geodude instead, who was taken by surprise and quickly curled up to avoid damage.

Yuuri saw a chance.

“Bagon, use Dragon Breath!”

“Dodge!”

But the curled up Geodude didn’t dodge in time, and Bagon’s attack hit, but didn’t paralyze the opponent much to Yuuri’s dismay.

“Bagon, pry Geodude’s arms away with Dragon Claw!”

“Geodude, use Defense Curl!”

The vicious attack and the sturdy defense left both Pokémon panting and Geodude scratched with claw-marks. They were getting tired.

“Geodude, use Rollout!”

Yuuri had to think fast while telling Bagon to dodge. Rollout was a vicious attack, and the longer Geodude rolled around, the faster it went and the harsher the impact would be. He had to stop it somehow.

He bit his lip. It was likely Bagon would have to retreat to his PokéBall after the stunt he was about to make him pull, but Geodude was weak against fighting-type moves, whether it had used Defense Curl or not, and he could always hope that Bagon would land a critical hit since he had used Focus Energy earlier.

_Well, here goes nothing._

“Bagon, stop Geodude with Brick Break!”

“ _Geodude, dodge!_ ”

But there was no way for Geodude to dodge as it was still rolling forward mercilessly with a speed it barely could control, and as it was already headed right towards Bagon, there was no stopping what happened next. Bagon took aim and landed the Brick Break dead-on, but not without taking damage from the Rollout in the process.

The result was two fainted Pokémon.

“Both Geodude and Bagon are unable to battle.” The judge announced.

“Return, Geodude.” Roxanne said, PokéBall already in hand.

“Return, Bagon.” Yuuri followed up, giving the PokéBall a squeeze as the dragon had been retrieved back into it. “Well done.”

“Both the Gym Leader and the challenger have only one Pokémon left.” It felt a little weird that the judge had to say those things when there was no one else watching on the sidelines. “The battle is still going.”

“Nosepass, you can do this!”

Yuuri clutched his second PokéBall in his hand. Maybe, just maybe, they had this in the bag.

“Let’s do this, Fraxure!”

 

“You seem to know what you’re doing, kid.” Roxanne told Yuuri, looking impressed as she recalled her fainted Nosepass into its PokéBall. “I did not see that Iron Tail coming. Well done.”

Yuuri blushed a brighter shade of red as he knelt down to spray some potion onto Fraxure’s wounds, feeding him a PokéPuff in the process.

“Thank you.” He replied quietly.

“I enjoyed myself, and I hope you did, too.” The Gym Leader continued, walking across the battle court towards him. “Did you?”

Yuuri nodded, “Y-yes, I did. We did.”

Roxanne looked pleased.

“That’s exactly what I hoped to hear.” She stated as she came to a halt in front of him and Yuuri stood up. “Well, Yuuri,” she held out her hand, “your Badge Case, please.”

Heart pounding hard in his chest with adrenaline and relief, he handed the Badge Case to Roxanne, who pulled out the Stone Badge from her pocket and fastened it to the black velvet inside, making sure it was securely in place before handing the case back to him with a nod. Then, she held out her hand to Yuuri, who took it to shake.

“I’ll be rooting for you, kid.” She told him firmly, almost sternly, like she was daring him to disappoint her expectations to see what would happen. “And if you ever want a rematch, you only have to show up.”

His chest swelling with a sense of pride for the first time in his life, mostly for his Pokémon, Yuuri nodded decisively.

“Thank you.”

 

The next stop on Yuuri’s journey was the gym in Dewford, the leader of which was a Fighting Master. Just like Roxanne, Brawly seemed to underestimate Yuuri and his Pokémon just a little too much, despite the fact that a ten-year-old entered the battle with a Fraxure beside him. The first stage Pokémon should perhaps have given some hint that despite him being new to the Hoenn League challenge, Yuuri was by no means new to training Pokémon.

Dragon Pokémon, specifically.

And also, just like Roxanne, Brawly didn’t see the finishing move coming. Yuuri thanked Dragon Master Drayden silently for giving him the idea to teach Fraxure Aerial Ace, a move he hadn’t even realized would be possible for the Pokémon to learn before he saw the leader of the Opelucid City Gym use it in a battle during a Pokémon League Tournament.

The unexpected flying-type attack left a very surprised Makuhita fainted in the middle of the outdoor battle court, and an even more surprised Master Trainer gaping on the opposite side of Yuuri.

“I didn’t even know Fraxure could learn Aerial Ace!” Brawly exclaimed, grinning brightly as he pinned the Knuckle badge into Yuuri’s Badge Case. “That was a good battle. I’ll be looking forward challenging you in the Pokémon League Tournament someday.”

The expectations on Yuuri the rookie dragon trainer were already piling too high for comfort on his shoulders, but still, he left Dewford Gym filled with pride for his companions.

Fraxure and Bagon were doing fabulously.

 

The first real, proper, nerve-wrecking challenge came with Mauville City Gym. Wattson’s electric-typer were downright devils, especially the Voltorb which Yuuri’s team had no type advantage over, not even in the form of a move. The Charge combined with Electro Ball caused Fraxure to faint more or less instantly, and for the first time, Yuuri had to return to the Pokémon Center with both of his Pokémon knocked out. Hasetsu was far away by now, and as his Pokémon were determined to continue, Yuuri wandered off outside the city to take on challenges offered by other wandering trainers looking for more practice.

A week later, he tried again.

And failed.

Bagon and Fraxure once again all healed up, Yuuri slumped down by the river outside Mauville and sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping as he pulled off his shoes and socks and dipped his sore feet into the cool water. He would have to try again after some more training if he wanted to advance to the next gym, but Wattson was an Electric Master and had run the gym, and essentially Mauville City, for many, many years. Yuuri rubbed his temples, half-aware that his Pokémon were taking a nap beside him, having made themselves comfortable there.

While the gym leader’s electric- and steel-type Magnemite would go down with a well-timed Flamethrower from Bagon, the Voltorb caused them more problems. It was a pure electric-type that was only weak to ground-type moves, and neither Bagon nor Fraxure were able to learn any of the sort, unfortunately enough.

The only option Yuuri had was to make sure Bagon didn’t take too much damage from Magnemite to then have two Pokémon to go up against the infuriating Voltorb and its damned Charge and Electro Ball combination, not to mention the infuriating Rollout that made a comeback. He really had to rethink his strategy for the red-and-white orb with eyes, as it wouldn’t be worth going into battle time and time again without a more defined plan.

All in all, it was giving him a headache.

“Bluu?”

Yuuri immediately whipped his head around in the direction of the noise, feeling something cloudy soft brush against his arm.

“Huh?”

“Swa-bluu?”

A small Swablu had landed beside Yuuri, looking up at him curiously, it’s whole body tilted to the side as it blinked. It brushed its cottony wing against Yuuri’s arm again, sensing his distress.

“Bluu? Swablu?”

Yuuri couldn’t help but smile.

“Are you trying to cheer me up?” he asked softly, holding out his palm for the Pokémon to investigate. The Swablu pecked it softly with its beak, nudging it lightly before starting to hum softly, the sound vibrating through its small body and straight into Yuuri’s open palm. The warmth spread in rippling waves through his body, and for a moment, Yuuri closed his eyes.

It really was soothing. He felt his whole body relax as the Swablu continued to hum, not really a melody but more of sound carpet, like a calming background noise.

Yuuri sighed once again, but this time, he was smiling.

“Aren’t you sweet?” he cooed at the Pokémon, giving up a slight giggle as the Swablu softly pecked his fingers, as if trying to get a taste of what kind of trainer he was. Yuuri reached into his bag and pulled out a PokéPuff, presenting it to the flying-type. “Would you like one of these?”

Swablu pecked the puff, then caught it in its beak and gulped it down, seemingly pleased.

“Bluu!”

“Another?”

Yuuri fed the Pokémon five more puffs before it was satisfied. Then, it leaned against his side, humming again, content and soothing. It was only when Yuuri’s eyes started to droop that he realized Swablu’s humming would lull him to sleep unless he was careful. Therefore, he stretched and petted the Pokémon carefully to gain its attention.

“Thank you. I should go back to Mauville now.” The Swablu blinked.

“Swablu.” It stated, jumping over his legs to nudge his bag. “Swaa-blu.”

“Um…”

Yuuri hesitantly took out a spare PokéBall as the Swablu didn’t seem to be interested in more food, but definitely was looking for something that could be found in his bag. The second he pulled out the ball, Swablu flapped its cottony wings excitedly.

“Swablu!” it chirped, before promptly letting itself inside.

Yuuri stared at the PokéBall. Then, he started laughing. He couldn’t help himself, because the whole situation just seemed so unreal and extraordinary to him. His laughter woke up Bagon and Fraxure, and he had to let Swablu out again so his Pokémon could meet their self-invited new team member.

While Swablu was a normal- and flying-type, its evolution, Altaria, was a dragon- and flying-type. There was no reason for Yuuri not to let the cottony ball of fluff tag along.

However, because Swablu was a normal- and flying-type, she (Yuuri learned the gender at the Pokémon Center) was beyond useless against Wattson’s electric-types, and now that Yuuri had three Pokémon on his team, then Wattson had the obligation to use three Pokémon as well. The upside was Swablu’s natural instinct to calm its trainer down, which was exactly what Yuuri needed to collect his thoughts and work out a strategy. The third time Yuuri challenged the gym leader, he managed to time Fraxure’s Protect to the Electro Ball, leaving Fraxure in much better health than before to continue. Then, he used Assurance to knock the opponent out. Fraxure was once again bruised and beaten, mostly due to the Rollout, but he was still standing much to Yuuri’s relief. He then switched back to Bagon when Wattson threw out a Magneton, and managed to scrape by due to some miracle when Bagon broke through the paralysis and scored a hit with his devastating Flamethrower.

By the end of the battle, Fraxure and Bagon could barely stand, inches from fainting, but they were still victorious.

Yuuri left Mauville City behind with the Dynamo Badge and a new teammate.

So far, so good.

 

"Oh." He blinked, scrolling through the news on his tablet one evening in his room at the Pokémon Center in Verdanturf Town.

Viktor had won the Super Rank category at the Sinnoh Grand Festival.

Somewhat annoyed that he had missed the live-sending of the contest, he immediately switched over to the channel in question to watch Viktor's performance and the battle.

He fell asleep hours later with a smile on his face and a silver-haired coordinator in his dreams.


	5. Major Leaps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vulpix has been edgy for months and with his place in the Hyper Rank secured, Viktor goes on a vacation with his family to help his companion.  
> Meanwhile, Yuuri reaches Sootopolis City after five months on the road, with a team that has grown in many ways.  
> Needless to say, new challenges await them both beyond this point, and the level of difficulty is rising steadily.

“Congratulations on your second win on the Sinnoh Grand Festival, Viktor!” the reporter congratulated the coordinator as he entered the press area with Katya in his arms. “That means you’re entering the Hyper Rank during the following season, one step closer to the Master Rank and the title of Top Coordinator. Any thoughts on the upcoming challenges?”

“Hyper Rank will be tough, of course.” Viktor replied, smiling dazzlingly despite the comment. “But before that, we’ll be going on a small vacation with Katya and Vulpix to wind down before preparing for the upcoming season. We have a lot of work to do in order to be able to meet the standards for the Hyper Rank.”

“Of course.” The reporter nodded. “Your mother, Top Coordinator Ekaterina, has only recently announced her retirement from the competitive scene and is now mentoring up and coming coordinators full-time. Are you aiming to fill her shoes?”

The question made Viktor laugh involuntarily.

“I could never fill mama’s shoes.” He shook his head. “If I can fill my own, I’ll be more than happy, and if I can be an inspiration for anyone on the way, it would be an honor.”

“One last question, if I may be curious: where will your vacation be taking you?”

Viktor grinned.

“Alola.”

 

The evening sun was painting the sky in pink and golden orange, reflecting in the ocean waters surrounding Ula’ula Island. Viktor carried Vulpix in his arms, Ice Stone placed in the pocket of his jacket as he and his parents headed towards the foot of Mount Lanakila to let the Alolan ice-type evolve. They had decided it would be best to go through with the evolution at the location where Alexander had first found Vulpix, as the evolution had to be done in Alola, and the foot of the mountain had been the Pokémon’s home before being caught and given to Viktor to care for. Hopefully, the familiar surroundings would ease the usual shock of the evolution somewhat.

At least, that was what the Nikiforov family was hoping for.

“Are you ready, Vulpix?” Viktor asked her gently, kneeling down to place her on the soft grass, petting her behind the ear. She had been showing signs of wanting to evolve for months, being unusually restless and going outside to sit in the snow for hours on end, even eating with irregular intervals, sometimes downing a whole bowl of PokéPuffs and immediately asking for more, and sometimes just staring at her food without even touching it.

She had been edgy, and when Viktor understood what was going on, he had contacted his parents and told them that the Alolan vacation he had been promised five years earlier would have to happen as soon as the Sinnoh Grand Festival was over and done with. Because of Vulpix’s inconsistency due to her body aching to evolve, Viktor had to rely heavily on Katya for the routines and on her and Lapras for the battles towards the end of the season.

“Here,” Viktor took the Ice Stone from his pocket and presented it to Vulpix, who was leaning into the touch from the hand he was petting her with, “whenever you’re ready.”

He was beyond nervous, but he had to keep a level head for his Pokémon. When Eevee had evolved into Glaceon, she had passed out immediately after the evolution and had had time to adapt to her body gradually as she woke from the coma, softening the blow of the sudden transformation for better or for worse (mostly better). Vulpix was, on the other hand, very much awake, alert and trembling with anticipation, and Viktor had never helped a Pokémon through an evolution in that manner before.

Alexander noted his tense shoulders.

“You only have to ground her, Vitya.” He told his son, an arm around his wife’s waist as they stood a few steps away to watch together with Katya, Sylveon and Swinub. “Her instincts will know what to do and the stone helps her evolve. She will become much larger than she is now, and you can help her adjust to it. For now, just show her your support, and remember to wait for her to recognize you before you touch her after the evolution so she doesn’t accidentally hurt you in confusion. You’ll know when to approach.”

“Vul-piiix.” The small ice-type mewled, nudging the stone in Viktor’s hand. He took a deep breath, willing his heart to slow down. Then, he smiled.

“All right, sweetie,” he said, opening his palm fully to make the Ice Stone completely accessible to her, “go on. I’m with you.”

Vulpix licked his hand affectionately one more time, as if telling him she had understood.

“Vulpix!”

Determined, she placed her paw on the Ice Stone.

For the second time in his life, Viktor got to witness a small Pokémon start to glow brightly before becoming completely engulfed in white light, illuminating the darkening surroundings. He pulled back his hand, the Ice Stone having absorbed into the Pokémon to give it the boost it needed to evolve, before standing up and taking a step back to give her space. Katya came up to stand by his side, following the process curiously, ears twitching slightly in anticipation.

And just as soon as it had started, it was over.

A majestic Alolan Ninetales stood before them, icy-blue and regal in the last rays of the Alolan sun. She looked otherworldly, something ethereal materialized from a fairy tale, her fur shimmering softly like millions of crystals. She let out a cry, as if trying out her new voice, and Viktor took responsibility to gain her attention and cautiously approach.

“Hey, sweetie,” he cooed softly, using the nickname to ground her more easily than calling her Ninetales from the start, offering his palm for her to sniff and nudge to check it was still him, “you did so well, darling.” When she nudged his hand again, he took it as permission to caress her head with both hands. She leaned into the touch and mewled again.

“Beautiful.” Ekaterina sighed, wiping the wetness from the corner of her eyes. “So beautiful.” Alexander nodded.

“She’s going to be an unstoppable force in contests to come with proper training.” He agreed.

Indeed, new challenges awaited Viktor, Katya, Lapras and Ninetales. And with a newly evolved Pokémon on his team, him and Ninetales had a lot of work to do.

Viktor already knew they were going to enjoy every second of it.

 

**

 

“Sootopolis is right up ahead.” The sailor told Yuuri, pointing at the rocky walls ahead of them. “There’s a Pelipper that will carry you over the rocks to the city; I’ll signal it here when we’re close enough. Are you challenging the gym?”

“Yes.” Yuuri nodded in confirmation, attempting to feed his growing team without getting his fingers chewed off by the strong jaws of…

“Pinch!”

“Eat your food, not me.” Yuuri scolded Trapinch, who ignored him in favor of munching down the mouthful of puffs he had snatched from Yuuri’s hand the two seconds he had looked away. He had caught the ground-type in the desert on Route 111, ironically enough having found a strong specimen right after he had managed to beat Wattson. Then again, he would have had to train Trapinch ruthlessly to be able to battle with him against the skilled gym leader, who no doubt had a trick or two up his sleeve for people who brought ground-types to his gym. In the end, it probably wouldn’t have made much difference, Yuuri figured.

Other than Trapinch joining them, there had been a couple more significant changes in Yuuri’s team. Firstly, Bagon had evolved into Shelgon after a battle against another wandering trainer right outside Verdanturf Town. He had become a sturdy tank that was still as stubborn as ever, becoming very cross if he didn’t get his way. Secondly, Swablu had evolved into Altaria in the middle of the battle against Fortree City Gym’s leader Winona, and they had paused the battle so Yuuri could help his Pokémon through the evolution. They finished it the following day, Yuuri leaving with the Feather Badge snugly fit into the Badge Case.

“Gon-gon!”

“No, Shelgon, stop that!” Yuuri said sternly, clicking his tongue sharply to coax the cement blender of an annoyed dragon away from the side of the boat to stop him from continuously bumping his shielded body into it stubbornly. “Altaria, calm him down, please.”

Altaria cooed in acknowledgement, settling down right behind Shelgon and enveloping him in her cotton cloud wings while humming softly, pulling the restless Pokémon into a momentary dreamworld to relax. Her dream-inducing hum and soothing presence was probably the sole reason Yuuri hadn’t fled back to Hasetsu yet, because it seemed that no matter how many times he did it, he still turned into an anxious ball of nerves every time he found himself outside a new gym. Having Altaria, and Swablu before her, there to make him relax was a blessing heaven-sent.

The sailor followed the whole thing with interest.

“A dragon trainer, huh? You have quite the bunch!”

Yuuri couldn’t help a small laugh.

“I’ve got my hands full.” He admitted fondly, scratching Trapinch’s back as he downed another mouthful of puffs. The sailor hummed thoughtfully.

“You seem to handle them well, though. How old are you, boy?”

“Ten.”

The sailor’s eyes widened.

“So you’ve started your journey this year, then?”

“By the end of last year.” Yuuri corrected him with a nod. “About... five months ago. Sootopolis is the last gym for us to challenge in Hoenn.”

The sailor’s jaw dropped to the deck.

“Well, I say…” he mumbled, wide-eyed, “…good luck, kid.”

 

Knowing he was up against Viktor’s former mentor, the one and only Wallace, Yuuri felt even more self-conscious than usual when he ascended to the uppermost battle level of the gym where the leader himself was waiting for him on the other side of a pool filled with water, floating platforms for Pokémon to stand on on either side. Wallace was dressed in his trademark pearly white cape and beret and full-body outfit in white, violet and petroleum blue, his turquoise hair neatly styled beneath the head-wear. He regarded Yuuri and Fraxure with interest.

“Allow me to formally introduce myself.” He spoke, giving Yuuri a humble bow. “I am Wallace, the Gym Leader of Sootopolis City. You’ve come here with seven badges in your Badge Case, meaning I’m the only obstacle standing between you and the top of the Hoenn League, should you choose to challenge them.” Wallace gave him a wink, smiling charmingly. “You are aware that this means that I will be using five Pokémon even though you have only four on your team, yes?” Yuuri nodded, not trusting himself to speak. “Excellent!”

When a Luvdisc materialized in the water as Wallace’s first Pokémon, Yuuri steeled himself. The gym leader would no doubt have a few ice-type moves up his sleeve that he needed to look out for, but he knew his team could pull through. He would have to rely on the one strategy he had found effective so far: surprise.

Every time he managed to take the opponent by surprise, he moved one step closer to victory.

Wallace was a tough opponent, and definitely the toughest Yuuri had challenged so far, even counting in Wattson, whom he had lost to twice, and Norman and his infuriating Slaking that Yuuri only had managed to beat on his fourth try after having first cried his eyes out in Altaria's cotton cloud wings and then taught Fraxure both Counter and Reversal to have the slimmest of chances of winning. However, Wallace was a different matter altogether, for better or for worse. Yuuri had seen the Top Coordinator battle and been mesmerized by the elegance he managed to pour into it together with his stunning Milotic. Yuuri, of course, wouldn’t be going up against that particular Milotic during the gym battle due to the difference in experience, but he would battle one Milotic nevertheless.

Despite him being a tough opponent and all the ice-type moves he had up his sleeve, Wallace had one disadvantage. In fact, all the gym leaders Yuuri had challenged had one disadvantage, and Wallace doubly so: none of them had seen Yuuri battle before, but he had seen them on TV many, many times during the Pokémon League Tournaments, and in Wallace’s case also in the Master Rank contests. During his journey from Mossdeep to Sootopolis, Yuuri had watched Wallace’s battles on his tablet over and over again, trying to find some kind of pattern, something in his battle style that he could use against him.

In the end, Yuuri had found one detail he would have to try and look out for: the finishing moves. Wallace always seemed to want to finish off his battles like he finished his routines; with flourish. He wouldn’t settle for sudden-death moves, and Yuuri’s best bet was to try exactly those.

Therefore, Luvdisc went down with a harsh Brick Break from Shelgon, who jumped straight into the water to land on the poor water-type like an enormous cannon ball. Yuuri had to recall Shelgon after that, as the Pokémon absolutely couldn’t swim and was so heavy and dense that he started to sink to the bottom like a rock immediately. Whiscash was a little trickier as it was only weak to grass and Yuuri hadn’t had the chance to teach Altaria Solar Beam yet, regrettably, even though he knew she could learn it. Instead, he resorted to using Fraxure to land a hit on Whiscash using Dragon Pulse and Assurance, then wait until the Pokémon got one hit on Fraxure before using Counter and then Razor Wind in rapid succession.

Whiscash fainted and Yuuri still had four Pokémon. Well, technically he had three, because Trapinch, being a ground-type, was absolutely useless against Wallace’s water-types.

“So you can handle water.” Wallace commented, reaching for his third PokéBall. “But how do you handle water and ice?”

A Sealeo materialized with a sharp battle cry. Yuuri quickly thought about his options and decided to leave Fraxure out. He had a higher attack stat than Shelgon, and since ice-types were weak to fighting-type moves, he needed Fraxure more. Altaria wasn’t exactly an option against an ice-type, as they had a double type advantage over her.

Sealeo was a nuisance, and Yuuri already thought he was going to lose poor Fraxure when he noticed Wallace had managed to make a mistake. He had frozen the surface of the water, making a layer of ice.

Yuuri kicked himself for missing the obvious course of action he should have taken much earlier.

“Fraxure, take a break!” he quickly ordered. “Shelgon, finish it off with Dragon Rush and Brick Break!”

As he materialized, Shelgon pulled in his legs into the shell even before he landed, rolling towards Sealeo at enormous speed and smashing into the opponent with a harsh Brick Break before it had the chance to move out of the way.

“Sealeo is unable to battle!” the judge announced. Yuuri couldn’t help the sigh of relief that escaped his lips. He had almost lost Fraxure because he didn’t realize Shelgon would actually be useful on a surface he could stand on. Or rather, roll on.

Wallace blinked before recalling his third Pokémon, chuckling slightly.

“You’re full of surprises, it seems.” He commented. “Let’s see how you handle Seaking.”

Seaking was a very persistent pain in the neck with the Aqua Ring to keep it in good health, and Shelgon fainted from a harsh Ice Beam. Fraxure managed to dodge the particular attack, however, and Yuuri had to resort to use Dragon Dance twice before using Dragon Pulse to pull Seaking out of the water to be able to land an Aerial Ace followed by Dragon Claw.

Unfortunately, Fraxure was already tired out and Seaking managed to use its horn for a Poison Jab when the Dragon Claw hit, causing both Pokémon to faint. Yuuri bit his bottom lip as he recalled Fraxure.

Altaria would have to go up against…

“Well, I’m down to my last Pokémon.” Wallace announced, looking pumped and determined. “Let’s go, Milotic!”

“Go, Altaria!” Yuuri encouraged his Pokémon, and himself. “Let’s do this!”

Yuuri steeled himself. His focus was entirely on Altaria, Milotic and Wallace, and the rest of the world ceased to exist. Adrenaline was rushing through his veins, blood pounding in his ears as he did his all to help Altaria, looking for cues from Wallace that would signal he was about to fall into his usual, dramatic finishing moves.

With Milotic in mind, Yuuri had practiced those particular parts with Shelgon, Fraxure and Altaria over and over again, hoping and praying Wallace wouldn’t do anything too differently. What moves he used could wary, but there was always a telltale sign the end was nearing…

“Milotic, use Disarming Voice!”

_Oh, there it is._

“I love you, Altaria!”

The emotionally confused Pokémon snapped her full attention to her trainer, locking eyes with him briefly as her gaze became focused once again. Yuuri had to thank the nurse in Mossdeep City endlessly for giving him the idea to make his Pokémon associate “I love you” with all kinds of things they did together with him that they enjoyed; eating PokéPuffs, getting petted, hugged, training, playing and everything in between.

It made the effects of Disarming Voice much easier to deal with.

“Milotic, use Hydro Pump!”

“Altaria, use Ice Beam!”

Having taught Altaria an ice-type move turned out to be a good idea. Yuuri had seen Wallace use a combination of Hydro Pump and Ice Beam before, usually leaving at least dragon- and grass-type Pokémon in a terrible predicament, but by using Ice Beam as a counter, Altaria was able to freeze the harsh ray of water that shot out of Milotic’s mouth before it hit her.

The result was a momentarily frozen Milotic, just like Yuuri had hoped.

“Dragon Pulse!”

“Dodge, Milotic!”

But Milotic was partially frozen and the Dragon Pulse was harsh, shattering the ice and hitting Milotic hard, shards of frozen water crashing against its skin along with the shock-wave.

For a second, Yuuri wasn’t sure whether it was him or Milotic that had fainted.

It had to be a dream.

“Milotic is unable to battle; challenger Yuuri Katsuki wins!”

Altaria returned to Yuuri’s side, giving his arm a nip to gain his attention. The pinch snapped Yuuri out of it.

It wasn’t a dream at all.

 

“Wow,” Wallace laughed warmly as he met Yuuri down by the entrance to the main battle court, “now that was a battle I’ll remember. Thank you.” He held out his hand and Yuuri took it.

“Thank you, Mister Wallace.”

“No need to be so formal, Yuuri, call me Wallace like everyone else does.” The gym leader/coordinator waved the title off. “I couldn’t help but notice that you have a very refined battle style, considering your young age. You’re ten, correct?” Yuuri nodded.

“Thank you.” He repeated, not really knowing what else to say as he handed Wallace the Badge Case.

“You know,” the gym leader continued as he fastened the Rain Badge on the last available spot in the case, “if you’d like some advice, I’d suggest you’d take on the Indigo League challenge next, instead of going straight to the Hoenn League. I think that challenging the gyms in Kanto and Johto would be an excellent opportunity for you and your Pokémon to gain more experience and let your dragons evolve to their full potential, maybe even find another team member or two.” He handed Yuuri the case back, looking thoughtful. “The Elite Fours and the champions are rock-hard competition, and they’re not obligated to use Pokémon that matches the approximate skill-level of yours. The more experience the better, no?”

Yuuri rocked back and forth on his feet slightly, worrying his bottom lip in thought. Wallace made a really good point.

Well, if he wanted to enter the Pokémon League Tournament one day and hopefully impress Viktor…

“…you’re right.” He finally replied. “I… I’d like to challenge more gyms before moving on to the Leagues.” With capital L’s.

Wallace nodded, smiling dazzlingly.

“Sound choice! And in that case, Yuuri, I’m going to help you on your way a little bit.” He gestured towards the door. “Come with me.”

An hour later, Yuuri walked out of Sootopolis City Gym with his Pokémon all healed up, Trapinch in his arms and a plane ticket in his pocket.

A one-way ticket to Kanto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's more Yuuri in this chapter, too, like in the previous one. Viktor will get his spotlight, though.


	6. Overwhelmed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor is overwhelmed by the competition in the Hyper Rank, and he realizes he really has to start listening to his mentors if he wants to be considered real competition whenever he reaches the Master Rank.
> 
> Yuuri, on the other hand, is overwhelmed by the solid brick wall that is the Indigo League Elite Four.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were questions asked about the boys' teams, movesets and contests, so I'm going to include some (hopefully) answers:
> 
> I’m an avid player of the Pokémon games and at first, I planned on using the game mechanics entirely for this fic (four moves, leveling, the contests according to the Contest Spectaculars in OR/AS), but as I started writing, I felt that especially the battles turned out really, really boring in the sense that they felt predictable. So I turned to the anime (which I haven’t watched regularly since about gen 2) to see if a combination of the two would work better. I got the picture that in the anime, Pokémon don’t exactly forget their moves, rather their trainer prioritizes certain ones, and as they evolve, some moves they have learned earlier don’t work as well for them anymore, and so they add moves that fit their new evolutions better to their moveset. This gives me more to keep track of, but makes the battle scenes more fun to write, and if its fun to write, it usually turns out a little better… I hope. Therefore, while the Pokémon’s movesets may seem extensive, the trainers mostly use only a fraction of them at a time, concentrating the training around a more specific moveset as they make up strategies for upcoming battles. So I confirm that the Pokémon here have more than four moves in their moveset at a time (after much headache and pulling my hair out over it because my inner gamer is screaming at me, but my inner writer is having a blast, so...).
> 
> I’m also aware that some moves I have put in the movesets are egg moves, which in the anime doesn’t appear to make much of a difference. (And I accidentally wrote that Yuuri taught Fraxure Retaliate when I meant Reversal, I’ve now fixed the mistake).
> 
> And combining the gaming mechanics and the anime again, I disregarded the leveling system in favor of letting the Pokémon feel when it’s time to evolve, or fight against it like Dawn’s Piplup did in one of the episodes I watched for the sake of research (and procrastination, but let’s pretend that wasn’t the case). I did, however, keep the abilities, natures and characteristics, and thereby the stats, of course.
> 
> Now, the contests… oh the contests. Truth be told, none of the systems presented in the game or the anime really resonated with me, so it once again became a mash up. I took the main idea from the anime, that is choreography first, then a battle if you qualify. Also from the anime, I took the idea of needing five ribbons before being allowed to compete at a Grand Festival. Then again, in the anime, I got the picture one can achieve the title of Top Coordinator after winning one of them, which really didn’t give much room for development the way I had hoped to write this, so I brought in the rank-system introduced in R/S (Normal, Super, Hyper, Master), so that the coordinators would be faced with the challenge to win at the Grand Festival to advance a rank upwards. Only when they manage to win at a Grand Festival in the Master Rank do they gain the Top Coordinator-title. A friend of mine threw in the idea that up until the Top Coordinator-status, coordinators only take part in the Grand Festivals of their home region, but once they gain the title, they may enter International Grand Festivals, and I kind of caught onto that, so… there's that. And last but not least, I chose to go with the idea later introduced in the anime that the coordinator doesn’t have to use the same Pokémon both for the routine and the battle, even though those were the rules earlier. I mostly wanted to give Lapras something else to do than be a ride Pokémon (even if she's team mother, too, to be fair).
> 
> Usually, answers tend to give room for more questions, so I'll try to answer again when such arise. Hopefully, this answered at least something :') An outline of Viktor and Yuuri's teams up until this point can be found in the end notes.
> 
> With that over and done for now, enjoy!

“Your choreographies might be up to par for the Hyper Rank, but you really need to work on your battling strategies, boy.” The gym leader, Yakov, told Viktor bluntly as they sat in the waiting area at Snowbelle City Gym’s infirmary, waiting for the nurse to heal Viktor’s defeated team. “There are many skilled battlers in the Hyper Rank, and even more so in the Master Rank. If you’re ever going to beat a trainer of your former mentor’s caliber, for example, you really need to step up your game on the battlefield, too.”

Viktor bit back a snappy reply, holding his tongue and pursing his lips, his nails digging into the fabric of his tracksuit pants. He knew the old man was right, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. At least not at the moment. He had been doing well as far as choreographies were concerned, even though Madame Lilia commented on every little misstep and flaw she could find with eyes as sharp as a Staraptor, but he couldn’t seem to get the battling right. It was mostly unfair to his Pokémon, really, who were learning new moves and techniques in rapid succession under Yakov’s guidance, but Viktor couldn’t seem to be able to incorporate said moves and techniques at the right time.

It was overwhelming.

“Vitya,” Yakov grunted, arms crossed over his chest but his gaze on his student, “take a breather, relax with your Pokémon and we’ll continue tomorrow. You have two weeks until Hearthome.” He nodded. “Keep your head up, boy.”

“Here you go, Viktor,” the gym nurse smiled warmly, walking over to them to hand Viktor three PokéBalls, “all healed up and well. Let them rest tonight.”

“Thank you.” Viktor told her, placing the balls in his bag. “I will.”

 

Viktor placed second in Hearthome, losing to none other than Lisia who had added Sunny Day and Flame Thrower to Altaria’s moveset, managing to take him by surprise and knock Ninetales out. That meant he still was one ribbon away from being allowed to enter the following Sinnoh Grand Festival to advance to the Master Rank, and he only had one chance left to do it - during the Contest Spectacular in Hoenn in three week’s time.

“Told you I’d be here to kick your ass.” Lisia grinned at him as they embraced afterwards. Viktor couldn’t find it in himself to be bitter at her, laughing instead and hugging her tightly.

“As I asked you to, I recall.” He smiled warmly. “Congratulations.” Lisia poked him in the chest, a serious expression on her face.

“If I don’t see you perform at the Sinnoh Grand Festival by the end of the season, I’ll make you regret it for the rest of your life. And I have a message for you from Uncle Wall.” Viktor cocked an eyebrow.

“What did he say?”

“That he expects you to compete against him during the upcoming season. He also lamented about being old and considering retirement, and told me to tell you you’d better hurry up and reach the Master Rank before he waltzes out of it.”

Feeling something akin to a spark set flame to some sort of trigger in his chest, Viktor stared at Lisia for a good ten seconds before nodding.

“He won’t have to waltz out.” He told her, feeling more determined than he had done in months. “I’ll be there to knock him out.”

Lisia grinned widely, eyes twinkling.

“I’ll forward the message.”

 

“Did you learn something this weekend?”

Lilia’s piercing gaze was unwavering as she sternly looked at Viktor the moment he stepped over the threshold to the villa, hand on her hip, as if she had been waiting to scold him ever since he left for Hearthome. Viktor had been prepared for as much, and for once, he actually had an answer.

“Yes, Madame Lilia,” he said, willing himself not to falter, “I learned that Lisia is miles ahead of me in battling, and that I really need to put in an effort for the Contest Spectacular. And…” he took a deep breath, “…I need to teach Ninetales Moonblast. And Dark Pulse.”

Lilia looked almost impressed, even though her facial expression didn’t change in the slightest. However, Viktor could make out the distinct glint in her piercing green eyes that told him she approved.

“Hm,” she nodded firmly, “then start listening to Yakov. I’ll call in one of gym leader Valerie’s ace trainers to help with the Moonblast, but Dark Pulse Yakov should be able to handle. He hasn’t quite got the grip on fairy-type moves, though.”

Internally, Viktor breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” Lilia replied sharply, turning her heel to walk towards the kitchen. “I made us dinner; come and eat before it gets cold. And tomorrow, we’re going to polish Ninetale’s choreography for the Contest Spectacular; the transition between the Rain Dance and the Freeze-Dry was the worst attempt so far. It’s a wonder you still got a higher score than that cotton cloud.”

Viktor supposed his return to Snowbelle could have gone worse.

 

With Moonblast and Dark Pulse added to Ninetales’ moveset and Yakov’s ruthless training program, Viktor managed to gain the fifth ribbon he needed at the Contest Spectacular, meaning he had qualified for the Sinnoh Grand Festival. He still had a month to go until the competition and both Lilia and Yakov were close to driving him insane with the amount of practice, polish, wash, rince, repeat they put him, Katya, Ninetales and Lapras through, but he had to focus and pull through. There was no way he was going to be able to make it to the Master Rank otherwise, even if Lisia wouldn’t be competing against him this time around. Viktor had promised to come and cheer for her at the Hoenn Grand Festival after his own contest was over, and Lisia had somehow managed to convince Wallace to go with her to Sinnoh to cheer Viktor on in turn.

Viktor closed his eyes momentarily as he skated lazy laps around the ice in the training court of Snowbelle Gym, Katya clinging onto his shoulder for a ride while Ninetales glided effortlessly beside him, enjoying the peace and quiet. Lapras had settled down in the ice bath in the corner, drifting off to sleep as her muscles relaxed.

They had been training with Lilia the whole day as Yakov had had not one but three challengers in the span of twelve hours (all of which he sent to the Pokémon Center without badges), and she had pushed Viktor to incorporate the Moonblast and the Dark Pulse into Ninetales’ choreography for the Sinnoh Grand Festival. Not only that, but they had been working on a new routine for Katya, who was on her way to learning Blizzard, and her choreography was aiming for Master Rank standards already.

Despite Lapras not having to learn routines, she had been outside her PokéBall all day, being the mother she was and taking care of Katya and Ninetales during their respective breaks, giving them her support from the sidelines.

“We can do this, right?” Viktor found himself asking his Pokémon out of the blue, opening his eyes once he realized he had voiced his thought aloud. Katya replied by nudging his cheek.

“Eon.” She replied determinedly.

“Niinetales.” Her teammate seconded, gliding up beside Viktor to brush against his arm.

He took a deep breath, feeling the familiar flame of determination spark to life as Lapras opened her eyes to lock gazes with him, warm and encouraging.

“You’re right,” Viktor smiled, hoisting Katya up in the air as she jumped down in his arms to shower him with affection, “we can do this.”

 

Viktor felt a little faint as he stepped up on the podium with Katya on his shoulder, Ninetales jumping up after him, head held high in pride, her fur shining like gold in the sunlight that was gracing Jubilife City and the Sinnoh Grand Festival with its presence. He held a hand on Ninetale’s back for slight support, mostly emotional, as he used the other to wave at the audience, smiling brightly on autopilot, silver tears of joy not far from spilling down his cheeks. Somehow, he had managed to beat his opponent in the battle round, a mere point separating him and the coordinator standing to his right with his Roselia and Mawile, smiling and waving at the crowd despite his loss. Only his clenched fist gave his annoyance away, but he had no time to take it out on Viktor.

When the judge fastened the Grand Festival Hyper Ribbon in his Ribbon Case, Viktor had to hide his face behind the bouquet of fresh meadow flowers from Floaroma Town to hide the tears that spilled with overwhelming emotion, willing the flower crown in various shades of purple to stay on his head as he did. The fact that his mother stood in the front row blowing her nose into a pearly white handkerchief didn’t help much.

“That was an intense competition, Viktor!” the reporter jumped him immediately as he stepped down from the podium, “Ninetales and Katya really gave their all, in the choreography and the battle round respectively. What was going through your head when Drew sent out a Mawile as his choice of battle partner?”

“It was a surprise for sure,” Viktor admitted, willing his voice to keep steady, “he has used only grass-types up until today, so the Mawile did take me a little off guard, but I’m proud that Katya determinedly pulled through and didn’t let it faze her too much. She has special attack on her side, for sure.”

“Which really worked in your favor; that Shadow Ball seemed to take your opponent by complete surprise, and the Sand Attack was a brilliant diversion. Are you planning on expanding your team for the Master Rank?”

“Possibly, but only time will tell.” Viktor replied, essentially avoiding answering a question he absolutely hadn’t thought about at all.

“Of course. Well, I’ll let you go celebrate with your parents, and I see your mentors over there as well. Enjoy the remainder of the Grand Festival!”

“Thank you.”

 

“What was that Shadow Ball!?” Lisia exclaimed with a bright smile as she almost tackled Viktor when he finally reached them. “That was _awesome!_ I didn’t even know Katya could learn it!”

“We almost gave up on teaching it to her, but Yakov decided to keep pushing.” Viktor admitted, smiling sheepishly. “We’ve been working on it for years.”

“Well, she seem to have learnt it right on time,” Wallace remarked, pulling his former student in for a hug, “Mawile doesn’t have a lot of type disadvantages, and very few types are neutral effective.” He grinned at Viktor, who had grown a lot since he left Sootopolis two years ago, being almost as tall as Wallace by now. “You’ve grown a lot, Vitya, in many ways. Keep going.” He winked. “I’m looking forward going up against you next season.”

Even though Viktor was excited about it, too, he was beyond nervous at the same time. Wallace was a Master Trainer, and he wasn’t the only one among the Top Coordinator’s in the Master Rank. Reality suddenly hit Viktor that he would actually have to go up against people of the same caliber as his father, Yakov, Lilia and Wallace, and he felt a little faint again.

Despite everything, he still grinned back.

“See you in Lumiose.”

 

**

 

“What are you-, Haxorus, no!” Yuuri exclaimed, rushing over as his newly evolved dragon attempted to fit into the tent he had erected for the night. “You’re too big now.”

Haxorus seemed to have realized as much when he found that almost half his body was still outside the tent by the time he laid down.

“….ruuuus…”

Yuuri sighed, shaking his head, but he couldn’t help a chuckle.

“You can sleep in your PokéBall, or outside with Altaria, if you want.” He offered, recalling the stuck Pokémon into its ball to let it out again on the grass. He went up to Haxorus and gently patted his side to gain his attention, and the dragon sheepishly slumped down on the ground to be more at eye-level with his trainer. “You’re doing so well, Haxorus, all right? You just have to get used to your new size.”

“Haax-oruuus…”

“Is this why you stayed a Fraxure for so long?” Yuuri mumbled thoughtfully, sitting down in his Pokémon’s lap to keep his attention. “You were afraid of getting bigger… but hey, think about it,” he grinned, patting Haxorus chin in a friendly manner, carefully avoiding the razor-sharp blades on his cheeks, “now you can reach the berries in the lower trees for us, and Altaria won’t have to worry about her wings getting stuck in the branches. And you saw that enormous Onix the Pewter City gym leader had? You’re just the perfect size, Haxorus.”

Haxorus seemed to mull Yuuri’s words over in his head for a long while. It wasn’t the first time Yuuri had had to encourage him like that in the span of the three days he had spent in his new body. Fraxure had evolved into Haxorus in the middle of the battle against Vermilion City’s gym leader Lt. Surge, and unlike the last time a Pokémon of Yuuri’s had evolved during a battle back in Fortree City, they resumed the battle directly after the evolution, as Haxorus was determined to finish despite his new form.

Needless to say, they had to take a rematch the following day, but they had pulled through on the second try, mostly thanks to the small and quick Trapinch and his vicious ground-type moves.

“Haxoruuus!”

“Whoa, easy there!” Yuuri yelped as he suddenly was grabbed with two strong arms and pulled tightly against the Pokémon’s chest as it continued to repeat its name happily. “I love you, too, darling, but please put me down; you’re so strong.”

Maybe Haxorus would be able to adjust to his new size just in time for the Saffron City Gym.

 

“Are you taking the S.S. Anne from Vermilion to Johto?” the young gym leader asked Yuuri as he pinned the Earth Badge into his Indigo League Badge Case. “I can help you book a ticket, if you like.”

“You would?” Yuuri blinked, accepting the case back from Blue. “I mean, yeah, we’re headed to Johto next.” Blue hummed.

“You have quite a team for kid.” He commented, still eyeing the victorious Haxorus by Yuuri’s side.

Yuuri understood he wasn’t only referring to Haxorus, but to the rest of the team as well. He had expanded it once again, having had the extreme luck of finding a Dratini in the Safari Zone that apparently fell in love with the PokéPuffs he threw at her and didn’t put up a fight when she was caught in the Safari Ball. She had been an enormously appreciated addition to the team, being a dragon that did well both in the water and on dry land, and that also had no problem dealing out strong water- and ice-based attacks; just what Yuuri needed if he was to go up against another dragon trainer. Also, Trapinch had evolved into Vibrava after a particularly straining sparring session with another trainer right outside Lavender town, which also was a welcomed addition, as it now was a ground- and dragon-type and not a pure ground-type.

That was the team that had pulled the mat under the Viridian City gym leader’s feet, and apparently, he hadn’t been prepared for it, which really led Yuuri to believe that most trainers that challenged the gyms actually didn’t walk away with the badges. The thought felt a little overwhelming once he realized it, but at the same time, the pride swelled in his chest for his team.

They were really getting a hang of it.

“Have you grown up with dragon Pokémon?” Blue asked as they exited the battle court to pay the gym’s resident nurse a visit. Yuuri nodded.

“My family runs a dragon shelter in Hoenn.”

Blue hummed again.

“Clair, the leader of Blackthorn Gym, is a Dragon Master, and so is her cousin; you know, the Indigo League Champion, Lance. Just keep that in mind when it’s time to challenge them. Dragon against dragon tend to be some of the toughest battles fought in history.”

“I’m aware.” Yuuri replied, a small, nervous smile on his face. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, kid.” Blue grinned as they handed over their PokéBalls to the nurse. “Now, let’s get you a ticket while your Pokémon are healing.”

 

“Dragonair, use Blizzard!”

Yuuri’s newest addition to the team, that had evolved back in Ecruteak City, immediately lifted her had to execute the order. Dealing out a powerful ice-type attack towards Clair’s persistent Kingdra was a purely strategical move on Yuuri’s part, as the dragon- and water-type wasn’t at a type disadvantage to ice, but the harshly whirling snow and ice would hopefully be enough to blind and disorient it for a while. Dragonair carefully levitated out of the way of her own attack to keep her opponent in sight.

“Kingdra, use Scald!” Clair commanded sharply.

The boiling hot water shooting out of the Pokémon’s mouth quelled the Blizzard partially, just as Yuuri had dared to hope it would.

Now, the surprise.

“Dragonair, Thunderbolt!”

“ _Kingdra, dodge!_ ”

It was futile, though. The water conducted electricity at lightning speed, hitting the opponent mercilessly and causing it to become paralyzed on impact. Clair yelled out another order, which Kingdra heroically attempted to carry out with great difficulty, but its movements had become slowed down, inevitably giving Dragonair, and Yuuri, the upper hand.

Almost there!

“Dragonair, finish it off with Dragon Rush!”

Dragonair, having anticipated the command, shot through the remainder of the Blizzard and hit the paralyzed Kingdra with full force, the impact strong enough to quell the blizzard fully, sending water, snow and ice flying everywhere. Yuuri instinctively covered his face with his arm, squeezing his eyes shut as he shielded himself from the blast.

It wasn’t until he heard Dragonair softly land beside him that he let his arm fall to the side and take in the view.

“Kingdra is unable to battle; challenger Yuuri Katsuki wins!”

Kingdra was indeed out cold, and Dragonair, albeit battered and completely drained, was standing victorious by her trainer’s side. Yuuri let out a deep sigh of relief, closing his eyes momentarily to focus while digging through his pockets for treats to feed his Pokémon. Dragonair accepted the offered PokéPuffs as Yuuri praised her with words and a hug, stroking her fur fondly as he let himself sink to his knees, completely spent.

He had won.

He had won against a Dragon Master.

…even though said Dragon Master hadn’t been using her ace team, but he had won nevertheless.

Clair recalled her sixth and final Pokémon and walked over to Yuuri, an intrigued twinkle in her eyes as she approached, a mysterious smile spreading on her lips.

“That was quite something, kid.” She said, offering her hand to pull Yuuri to his feet. “A well deserved victory. The persistence with which you have challenged me during the past weeks has been quite an inspiration. I’m impressed, Yuuri.”

“Th-thank you.” Yuuri replied, still slightly out of breath, still attempting to let reality sink in. He had won; actually and finally won.

When he had first challenged the Blacktorn City gym two and a half weeks ago, the Dragon Master had floored him and his team completely. It had been the ultimate test for Yuuri so far, about a year and a half since he left Hasetsu, going up against a dragon trainer that was miles ahead of him. It certainly hadn’t helped that dragon-type moves were super effective against other dragon Pokémon. It had taken him a whopping seven tries to finally beat Clair, but now that he had, he realized how unreal it all felt.

“Well, here you go, kid,” Clair snapped him back to reality, handing him his Badge Case back, “the Rising Badge. It feels satisfying, you know, to finally be able to give it to you. I’ve never seen anyone advance so much in so little time; it was like watching a whole new team every time you walked through the door.” She tilted her head, pondering. “Are you challenging the Indigo League? As in, are you headed to the Indigo Plateau?”

Yuuri nodded slowly, biting his lip.

“I want to try.” He confessed. “It will be tough, but I still want to try.”

Clair nodded, “Apart from Lance, the Champion - my cousin, you know - the only Elite Four member that will inevitably give you trouble is Lorelei, the Ice Master. She’s exceedingly skilled. You will need all the fire moves you have to have a chance of besting her. Fortunately, you seem to have a few up your sleeve.” She paused. “As for Lance… he’s not the Champion for no reason, and he’s way ahead of me in skill. He’s quite possibly the strongest Dragon Master there is… well, maybe Drayden could give him a run for his money, but Lance stood victorious the last time they battled. What I’m saying, kid, is that the fact that you even have an actual chance of going up against him is quite an overwhelming fact for me to take in.”

Yuuri’s tongue had tied into a knot. He had absolutely no idea how to respond. He settled for:

“Thank you… for the advice.”

Clair smiled mysteriously again.

“If only I could help more. You should be good against Bruno’s fighting-types if you can outsmart him, and Koga is a pain in the ass with all the poison, so stock up on a lot of Antidotes. Oh, and Karen’s dark-types will be at a disadvantage to your Altaria’s Dazzling Gleam, so keep that in mind, too. Still, they’re all Master Trainers, and they're Elite Four-members for a reason.” She patted Yuuri’s shoulder, settling her hand there to lead him towards the exit and the gym’s nurse. “Actually, I have proposition for you.”

Yuuri blinked.

“A... proposition?”

“Yes.” Clair said firmly, unwavering. “Tomorrow at nine, meet me by the entrance of the Dragon’s Den. I’m going to give you a head start, and a shot at going up against my cousin at the Indigo Plateau.”

 

The Indigo League Elite Four were nothing like the gym leaders Yuuri had faced so far, and he had faced a lot of them. The 24 badges would prove that fact.

Still, nothing could have prepared him for the Ice Queen Lorelei that just happened to be the first in line.

Yuuri’s backpack had never been so heavily stocked with supplies. It was completely ridden of all the camping equipment, which he had left in his room at the closest Pokémon Center, to make space for a large variety of healing items and PokéPuffs, as well as berries in case he would need to resort to use something in the middle of the battle. He had also emptied most of his wallet to buy Full Restores, praying he would have enough of them left when he, hopefully, faced the Champion.

It was blood, sweat and tears for Yuuri and his dragons as they tried to best the Elite Four time and time again. When Yuuri finally managed to beat Lorelei by some otherworldly miracle, he had to go up against Koga, whose poison-types were a terrible, horrible nuisance. His team was equipped with extremely high defense and special defense, and they used an excruciating amount of status moves in multiple attempts to poison the whole of Yuuri’s team.

Clair hadn’t been joking about those Antidotes.

The Fighting Master, Bruno, was almost a sigh of relief after the first two, but he was still rock-hard on both attack and defense, and Yuuri’s team had to push harder and harder throughout the battle. Having finally made it past Lorelei and Koga, which took him a month, he managed to beat Bruno on his second attempt (even though he had almost lost to Koga again right before that), and finally went up against Karen and her dark-types. Hadn’t it been for Altaria, whom Yuuri determinedly had taught Dazzling Gleam earlier and Moonblast right before challenging the Elite Four, the Dark Master would have been a lot harder to beat. With a couple of strong fairy-type moves up his sleeve, though, the last obstacle between Yuuri and the Indigo League Champion went better than he could have hoped.

Too bad Clair had been ready for his fairy-type move back in Blackthorn.

That meant her cousin certainly was ready for them, too. Not to mention he was undoubtedly more than prepared for ice-type attacks.

Yuuri still used a Full Restore on Altaria and then another on Dragonair, treating the rest of his team with Hyper Potions in preparation for facing the champion. He fed them all PokéPuffs and made sure the Antidote he had used on Haxorus after the battle with Koga had been enough to rid the dragon’s body of the poison entirely. It had.

However, had the Elite Four been tough, the champion would probably be a different matter altogether.

He was.

Lance stood tall and strong before Yuuri on the other side of the open-air battle court, his cloak whipping in the beating wind as he folded his arms over his chest, his abnormally large Dragonite watching Yuuri’s much smaller Altaria through narrowed eyes. Yuuri swallowed down the lump that had formed in his throat, allowing Altaria’s hum to calm him down enough not to faint, throw up, or run away. Or all of them.

The Dragon Master was infuriatingly skilled; an opponent all too formidable for eleven-year-old Yuuri to handle.

He had guessed as much, but he still gave it his all, his team performing brilliantly despite the obvious gap in experience.

The outcome had been inevitable long before the battle even started, and Yuuri didn’t feel surprised when he recalled his fainted Haxorus from the battle field. The fact that he had even managed to take out Lance’s Dragonair was victory enough.

Or it should have been.

Yuuri felt dizzy, his body going numb as he collapsed onto his knees in exhaustion. Haxorus hadn’t stood a chance against the harsh Draco Meteor that one of Lance’s Dragonite’s had summoned, hitting the Pokémon with a force that crushed him down, leaving a Haxorus-shaped indent on the field. It might as well have left a Yuuri-shaped indent on the field, because while a small, rational voice in the back of Yuuri's head told him he had done his all, he felt completely and utterly defeated.

What would he do now?

“You did well, Yuuri.”

Startled, Yuuri looked up to find the champion standing in front of him, peering down at him with a stoic expression on his serious features. Yuuri didn’t trust himself to speak at that moment, so he settled for a small nod. Even though he had known that a battle against the possibly strongest Dragon Master in existence would certainly mean a loss on his part, he still couldn’t help the disappointment settling in his gut. He didn’t like to admit it aloud, but Yuuri really hated losing.

Lance was still assessing him with his gaze alone.

“Are you aspiring to become a Dragon Master?”

Yuuri’s eyes widened at the question, jaw slackening in surprise, his mouth agape.

“I-I…” he faltered, not really knowing what to reply, “…I don’t… I’ve grown up with dragons…” he cleared his throat as his voice suddenly cracked, “…b-but I haven’t thought about… that.”

That much was true. He had had the Pokémon League Tournaments in mind since the day he started on his journey, but he had never thought about what to do beyond that point.

Lance looked thoughtful as he offered Yuuri a hand, pulling him to his feet in a déjà vu of what his cousin had done over a month earlier.

“Would you think about it more if I told you that you had the potential to become one?” seeing Yuuri’s bewildered expression, he clarified: “What I mean to say is, you really have all the potential needed to become a Dragon Master. I would offer you my guidance, if you would like to pursue that goal.”

Had Yuuri’s world been spinning before, it had now came to a complete halt, throwing him completely off balance, his words failing him. He gaped like a Magikarp for anything to say.

“I-I don’t want to be a burden…”

“I’m offering.” Lance cut him off firmly. “I’m offering because I see much potential in you and your team, and because I’ve been looking for an apprentice for ages. You’re no burden; I want to take you on, and if you’ll have me, I’ll help you.” He held out his hand for Yuuri to either accept or reject. “What do you say?”

_Take all the help you can get, and heed the advice from trainers more experienced than you._

Toshiya Katsuki’s voice echoed in Yuuri’s head as he stared at the offered hand, biting his lip. In the end, there was only one choice.

Yuuri accepted Lance’s hand, and by that, his guidance.

He had a longer way ahead of him than he could ever have anticipated. Or even hoped for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Viktor’s team by chapter 6 (Viktor is 15)
> 
> Glaceon  
> \- pure ice-type  
> \- Ice Body-ability (gradually regains HP during hail)  
> \- Quiet nature (raised sp. attack, lowered speed, favors dry flavor and dislikes sweet)  
> \- Highly curious (favors sp. Attack)  
> \- Highest stat: special attack  
> \- Lowest stat: attack  
> \- Moveset: Tail Whip, Icy Wind, Sand-Attack, Quick Attack, Bite, Ice Shard, Hail, Captivate, Charm, Ice Beam, Rain Dance, Shadow Ball, Double Team, Attract, Round, Echoed Voice, Aurora Veil, Frost Breath
> 
> Ninetales  
> \- ice- and fairy-type  
> \- Snow Cloak-ability (raises evasion during hail)  
> \- Calm nature (raised sp. defense, lowered attack, favors bitter flavors and dislikes spicy)  
> \- Likes to run (favors speed)  
> \- Highest stat: speed  
> \- Lowest stat: attack  
> \- Moveset: (from Vulpix: Tail Whip, Baby-Doll Eyes, Aurora Beam) Dazzling Gleam, Ice Beam, Ice Shard, Safeguard, Charm, Freeze-Dry, Moonblast, Calm Mind, Hail, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Double Team, Attract, Round, Payback, Aurora Veil, Frost Breath, Dark Pulse
> 
> Lapras  
> \- water- and ice-type  
> \- Water Absorb-ability (restores HP if hit by a water-type move)  
> \- Relaxed nature (raised defense, lowered speed)  
> \- Likes to relax (favors HP)  
> \- Highest stat: HP  
> \- Lowest stat: speed  
> \- Moveset: Mist, Confuse Ray, Water Pulse, Body Slam, Rain Dance, Brine, Safeguard, Ancient Power, Freeze-Dry, Hail, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Protect, Psychic, Echoed Voice, Smart Strike, Bulldoze, Frost Breath, Surf
> 
>  
> 
> Yuuri’s team by chapter 6 (Yuuri is 11, he’s been on the road for about a year and a half)
> 
> Haxorus  
> \- pure dragon-type  
> \- Mold Breaker-ability (moves can be used on the target regardless of its ability)  
> \- Naive nature (raised speed, lowered sp. Defense, favors sweet flavor and dislikes bitter)  
> \- Proud of its power (favors attack)  
> \- Highest stat: attack  
> \- Lowest stat: special attack  
> \- Moveset: (from Axew and Fraxure: Scratch) Leer, Assurance, Slash, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Dragon Pulse, Swords Dance, Counter, Endure, Focus Energy, Harden, Iron Tail, Razor Wind, Reversal, Protect, Brick Break, Return, Double Team, Aerial Ace, Shadow Claw, Bulldoze, Rock Slide, X-Scissor, Dragon Tail
> 
> Shelgon  
> \- pure dragon-type  
> \- evolves into Salamence eventually  
> \- Rock Head-ability (protects the Pokémon from recoil damage)  
> \- Adamant nature (raised attack, lowered sp. attack, favors spicy flavor and dislikes dry)  
> \- Likes to thrash about (favors attack)  
> \- Highest stat: defense  
> \- Lowest stat: special defense  
> \- Moveset: Bite, Protect, Leer, Ember, Dragon Breath, Headbutt, Focus Energy, Crunch, Dragon Claw, Zen Headbutt, Flamethrower, Defense Curl, Dragon Dance, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Rush, Endure, Thrash, Return, Brick Break, Double Team, Rock Tomb
> 
> Altaria  
> \- dragon- and flying-type  
> \- Natural Cure-ability (all status problems heal upon being recalled into the PokéBall)  
> \- Mild nature (raised sp. attack, lowered defense, favors dry flavors and dislikes sour)  
> \- Strong willed (favors sp. defense)  
> \- Highest stat: special defense  
> \- Lowest stat: attack  
> \- Moveset: Peck, Pluck, Sing, Growl, Dragon Breath, Astonish, Safeguard, Disarming Voice, Mist, Natural Gift, Refresh, Dragon Dance, Cotton Guard, Dragon Pulse, Moonblast, Agility, Dragon Rush, Haze, Dragon Claw, Ice Beam, Protect, Double Team, Aerial Ace, Dazzling Gleam
> 
> Vibrava  
> \- ground- and dragon-type  
> \- evolves into Flygon eventually  
> \- Levitate-ability (immune to ground-type moves)  
> \- Naughty nature (raised attack, lowered sp. defense, favors spicy flavors and dislikes bitter)  
> \- Alert to sounds (favors speed)  
> \- Highest stat: speed  
> \- Lowest stat: special defense  
> \- Moveset: Feint Attack, Sand Attack, Dragon Breath, Mud-Slap, Bulldoze, Sand Tomb, Rock Slide, Supersonic, Earth Power, Bug Buzz, Bug Bite, Endure, Focus Energy, Fury Cutter, Gust, Quick Attack, Toxic, Sandstorm, Double Team, Steel Wing
> 
> Dragonair  
> \- pure dragon-type  
> \- evolves into Dragonite eventually  
> \- Shed Skin-ability (the Pokémon may heal its own status problems)  
> \- Brave nature (raised attack, lowered speed, favors spicy flavor and dislikes sweet)  
> \- Mischievous (favors special attack)  
> \- Highest stat: attack  
> \- Lowest stat: HP  
> \- Moveset: Leer, Wrap, Thunder Wave, Twister, Slam, Agility, Dragon Tail, Aqua Tail, Dragon Rush, Safeguard, Dragon Dance, Aqua Jet, Dragon Breath, Dragon Pulse, Extreme Speed, Iron Tail, Mist, Water Pulse, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Light Screen, Rain Dance, Thunderbolt, Double Team, Surf


	7. Expanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor's team expands in many unplanned ways.  
> Yuuri expands his knowledge in turn.

“I don’t… it started playing with Katya and followed us home.” Viktor explained to his parents, who looked just as bewildered as he felt. “We were on our way back here from the lake when Katya suddenly stopped and it approached us. They just started chasing each other around.”

“It really was alone?” Alexander asked, astonished. Viktor mirrored his expression.

“Yes!”

“Wow.” Ekaterina murmured, staring at the Pokémon bouncing in circles around Viktor’s legs, still chasing Katya. Or maybe Katya was the one doing the chasing. “Maybe it was just lonely, then.”

“Well, that’s really the only logical explanation.” Alexander agreed. “It’s highly unusual for Snorunts to move about on their own, after all.”

“Well, it’s rare, but not unheard of.” Ekaterina pointed out.

“Snorunt!” the Pokémon exclaimed merrily, stopping to bump its cone-shaped body into Viktor’s leg repeatedly, grabbing his attention. “Snorunt, sno!”

Viktor leaned down to pat Snorunt on the top of its head while his father observed the behavior with furrowed brows.

“Well, it seems excited, to say the least. It must’ve been alone for a longer time to behave like that.”

“Snorunt!”

Viktor knelt on the floor, immediately getting an armful of excited Pokémon in his lap while Katya sat down beside Viktor, tilting her head. Viktor settled for stroking Snorunt’s backside while it continued singing its own name.

“Can you tell if its male or female?” he asked his parents, but they both shook their heads ‘no’.

“There are no visible signs as to whether a Snorunt is one or the other.” Alexander replied. “But the Pokémon Center nurses would be able to tell, of course.”

“Or you could test it.” Ekaterina suddenly said, snapping her fingers like she did whenever she had, in her mind, a brilliant idea. “I have a Dawn Stone at hand that I received as part of the prize during my last International Grand Festival. If it’s a female, it will eventually be drawn to it when it wants to evolve. Just a second…” she hurried off to retrieve the stone before anyone else got a chance to comment.

“Here,” Alexander pulled out a spare PokéBall from the stash in the drawer and handed it to Viktor, “it seems like it’s looking to join a group; they usually move in packs, after all.”

Viktor barely had time to close his hand around the ball before Snorunt cheerfully bumped its head onto it and let itself in…

…and then let itself out again immediately to start bouncing around Katya instead, who chased it towards the living room.

“Sno, sno, sno!”

“Eon!”

“ _Nub!?_ Nub, nub, nub, nub!”

“Oh, they managed to wake poor Swinub.” Alexander chuckled as the family Pokémon came bounding over to him, startled by the sudden wake up call. He instinctively bent down to scoop him up. “It’s okay, fluffball, they’re only playing.”

“Nuuuub…” Swinub lamented with a yawn.

“And I thought my darling Granbull was the drama queen around here.” Ekaterina grinned as she joined them again, Dawn Stone in hand. “But Swinub seems to be taking the prize as of late. There you go, honey,” she added as she offered Viktor the stone, “I have no use for it anyway, all my Pokémon are fully evolved and none of them have needed a Dawn Stone.”

“Only a male Kirlia and a female Snorunt need a Dawn Stone to evolve, anyway.” Alexander pointed out, rocking Swinub back and forth in his arms. “Keep it in your bag for now, Vitya.”

“Okay,” Viktor agreed, getting up from the floor to finally shrug off his jacket and take off his shoes, “thanks, mama.” He paused. “Should I try training with Snorunt tomorrow? To make it feel as part of the team?”

His father nodded in agreement, “That’s a good idea, Vitya. If it’s been alone for long, it would probably want to prove itself to you and your team somehow.” He pondered for a moment. “Maybe we should let it spar against Sneasel and see how that turns out.”

“Sneasel?” Ekaterina blinked, looking confused, “You mean the Sneasel that you found in the gym last week? The one you and Olga chased all over the place for two hours before you managed to catch it so you could open the doors for challengers?”

“Yes, that Sneasel.” Alexander confirmed with a chuckle. “The little devil is insanely fast.” He turned to Viktor. “We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.” Viktor nodded again, still trying to wrap his head around the evening’s turn of events.

“Okay.”

 

“Snorunt, use Bite!”

“Oh, there’s another move that it knows!” Alexander noted while Sneasel dodged the attack. “Try something other biting related.”

“Ice Fang!”

“Another jackpot.” Sneasel jumped out of the way again to avoid the strong jaws that were trying to get a hold of it. “It doesn’t seem to know many defense or status moves, though.”

“Not really.” Viktor agreed, trying to figure Snorunt out. He really was only guessing what the Pokémon could possibly know, learn and not learn, as he had had only the previous evening to read up on the Pokémon in the first place. He had to use a trial-and-error-method. “But maybe… Snorunt, use Headbutt!”

The small Pokémon launched itself at Sneasel, hitting it with its whole body (that was its whole head) with full force. Sneasel jumped back and crouched, waiting for its next move more carefully.

“Try Crunch, then a few ice-type moves.” Alexander suggested.

Viktor complied, and unsurprisingly, Snorunt did know Crunch. It also knew Powdered Snow and Hail, but not much else in the ice-type department, apart from the Ice Fang it had used earlier.

“All right,” Alexander finally said, nodding, “let’s have them battle one another properly.”

Viktor worried his bottom lip, frowning slightly.

“Are you sure?” he asked, feeling a little skeptical. “I barely know what moves Snorunt has in its moveset, much less how it battles and communicates with me.”

“Well, to be honest, I don’t know that much about Sneasel here, either.” Alexander reminded him. “We’ll try and see how it goes. There’s a nurse nearby, so we can get them help quickly should anything happen, but a couple of basic Pokémon shouldn’t be able to cause too much devastating damage. We don’t have to battle until they faint; we’ll call it off before that.”

Viktor’s frown remained, but he nodded slowly.

“Okay, then. Snorunt, you’re up!” he said, encouraging his new team member.

“Snooo-runt!” the cone-shaped Pokémon complied, placing itself on the battlefield in front of Viktor. Sneasel came to stand opposite it, his eyes glinting mischievously.

Viktor focused, assuming his usual battle stance to get into the correct mindset.

“Whenever you’re ready.” Alexander told him. Viktor steeled himself.

“All right; Snorunt, use Double Team!” he tried, deciding to see what kind of defensive moves and status moves Snorunt possibly had in its arsenal other than the ones he had already tried. Apparently, Double Team was among the ones it knew. “Now use Leer on Sneasel!”

“Sneasel, use Agility.” Alexander told the Pokémon calmly even though Snorunt had just lowered his defense. “Now, Quick Attack!”

“Dodge it, Snorunt!” Viktor quickly commanded, and Snorunt barely managed to roll to the side in time.

Sneasel was insanely fast.

“Another Quick Attack!”

“Counter it with Bite!” Sneasel collided with Snorunt’s strong jaws that closed around its arm, making the Pokémon hiss and jump away. “Now, use Headbutt!”

“Counter with Fury Swipes!”

The Pokémon essentially jumped back and forth, Viktor and his father trying to figure each of them out while battling. It soon became evident that Sneasel was incredulously quick while Snorunt was more of a tank, waiting for the opponent to attack and then countering it with its sturdy body and strong jaws. Sneasel’s claws were razor-sharp, though, and as Viktor realized Snorunt didn’t know the move Protect, he had to resolve to make the Pokémon dodge as much as possible instead.

The game of cat and mouse soon tired both Pokémon out.

“I think that’s enough.” Alexander called the battle off as Sneasel fell to his knees, panting, while Snorunt sat down and did the same. “Let’s not have them fight until they faint.” Viktor nodded in agreement.

“Okay, that’s it, Snorunt!” he told the newest addition to his team, “You did great!”

He knelt and pulled out a PokéPuff to reward the Pokémon. Snorunt bounced up happily, turned and caem bumbling over to Viktor…

…only to run right past him to his bag, poking it with its head, exclaiming “snorunt!” repeatedly, excited but almost pleading.

Viktor stared. Aleaxnder came to stand beside him, brows furrowed.

“…you have the Dawn Stone in your bag, right?”

Viktor nodded wordlessly.

Snorunt whined, bouncing restlessly on the spot while continuously poking the bag. That particular whine was very familiar.

Viktor had heard it before.

Not from Eevee, who had been too weak when he had presented her with the Ice Stone so she could evolve into Glaceon, but he had heard it from Vulpix, who had started with the pleading the moment they had set foot on Alolan shore. She had been impatient, wanting to evolve and made to wait, whining and poking Viktor’s bag and then his pocket repeatedly until he finally pulled out the Ice Stone by the foot of Mount Lanakila. Snorunt was behaving in exactly the same way, pulled to the Dawn Stone like a magnet.

“Maybe that’s another reason Snorunt came with you.” Alexander pondered. “Maybe she felt ready to evolve, but didn’t have the means to do so. If that’s the case, she’s most likely been alone for a very long time, fending for herself. Her body might have been aching to evolve for a while.”

“Then why didn’t she go straight for the Dawn Stone yesterday?” Viktor wondered. Alexander hummed thoughtfully.

“Sometimes when a Pokémon is ready to evolve but either tries to fight the evolution or needs some kind of external boost, like a stone, to do so and doesn’t have access to it, the ache to evolve hits in waves. A little like growing pains, for example. The sparring and battling against Sneasel might have made another wave hit Snorunt just now.” He nudged Viktor’s shoulder. “Go on, help her… now that we know it’s a her.”

His father’s words pulled Viktor out of his thoughts and he nodded, walking over to the bag to retrieve the Dawn Stone, holding it out to Snorunt.

“Is this what you need?” he asked the Pokémon, stunned by another sudden turn of events in the span of twenty-four hours.

“Snooo-runt!” the cone exclaimed, promptly swallowing the evolutionary stone without a moment to waste, Viktor quickly pulling his hand out of the way from its strong jaws. Immediately, Snorunt turned silvery and shining, its current form dissolving and transforming as it engulfed in light. Viktor stood up and took a step back.

It was the third time one of his Pokémon evolved, and the third time it involved an evolutionary stone.

When the sphere of light finally burst, a beautiful, eerie Froslass floated in front of them, looking utterly relieved and delighted by the change. That put Viktor at ease. It had been harder with Ninetales, who had been somewhat unhappy with her new, larger body for about a week following the evolution.

Froslass, however, seemed to enjoy her new body, and looked more than ready to adapt to it.

“Frossss-lasssss.” She hissed, twirling around in the air. That was Viktor’s cue.

“Have you been waiting for this?” he asked kindly. “Have you been waiting to evolve?”

“Fross-lass.” It sounded like a confirmation. She floated over to him, halting in front of Viktor and twirling around again. “Lass!” Viktor smiled encouragingly.

“You did really well, Froslass.” He assured her, pulling out the PokéPuff he had tried to treat Snorunt to earlier. Froslass made the puff float into her mouth, munching on it contentedly. “That was a good battle, and you’re handling your evolution admirably.” Froslass positively preened at the praise.

“Snea?” Froslass looked down, and so did Viktor.

The Sneasel that Alexander had battled with had came up to stand beside them, looking up at Froslass, wide eyes sparkling with awe.

“Snea? Sneasel?”

“Froooss-lass.” The newly evolved Pokémon replied in her raspy, ghostly voice. “Lass.” Sneasel tugged on the fabric of Viktor’s tracksuit pants.

“Sneasel!” he demanded.

Alexander burst out laughing, shaking his head as he pulled out a Dusk Ball from his pocket and took Viktor’s hand to place it there.

“There, that’s Sneasel’s ball.” He grinned at his son, amused. “Take good care of him, too. Your team is expanding dramatically, Viktor; that should at least give the press something to talk about for a while. They’ve been on you like Fearows ever since the previous Grand Festival.” He patted his shoulder heartedly. “Now you know what to tell them next time they ask about your team.”

Viktor accepted the Dusk Ball, completely dumbfounded.

His team hadn’t grown since Wallace handed him Lapras some three years ago, and suddenly, he had a total of five members, two of them almost gained overnight. He had no idea how it happened, but he left the gym an hour later with Sneasel on his shoulder and Froslass floating delightedly beside him. Sneasel jumped down and landed in front of Froslass playfully, and she turned invisible and moved a bit further down the road, Sneasel chasing after her as she turned invisible again and reappeared at Viktor’s side.

Viktor couldn’t help but laugh and join Sneasel in the game of Finding Froslass as the quick little Pokémon pulled on the fabric of his coat to drag him along, and Katya, sensing something fun was going on like she had a habit of doing, let herself out of her PokéBall to join as well.

They reached the Nikiforov family home an hour later, despite taking a way that usually took approximately twenty minutes to walk. Viktor was covered in snow and stopped right inside the door to take his coat off, but the three Pokémon sped right past him into the living room, already heading for the backyard.

“Nub, nub!”

“Sorry, Swinub!” Viktor called out apologetically, grinning from ear to ear.

Froslass and Sneasel definitely fit right in on the team.

 

**

 

“Imagine you’re about to go up against a Fairy Master.” Lance painted up a scenario for Yuuri, choosing Dragon - Fairy on the touch screen in front of them to simulate yet another battle. “You have a great type disadvantage in this case.” He chose Yuuri’s team from the menu, then opened the selection of fairy-type Pokémon. “Let’s say our Fairy Master starts off with a Wigglytuff, and additionally has Sylveon, Florges, Togekiss, and Gardevoir; five on five.” Yuuri nodded.

“All right.” He agreed, taking Lance’s place as he stepped aside. “I’d send out Haxorus first and start by raising evasiveness, attack and speed…” he quickly tapped on the picture of Haxorus and then chose Double Team and Dragon Dance from the moveset, “…and I’d go for Focus Energy, too.” Lance hummed.

“Haxorus isn’t capable of learning any moves that boost special defense, though.” He pointed out. “So you’re really going to have to rely on evasiveness and speed. Wigglytuffs are usually quite slow, fortunately. What next?”

Yuuri bit his lip.

“Poison Jab.” He decided. “Wigglytuff has high HP, and being poisoned would help out there.”

“It’s using Dazzling Gleam on you now.” Lance pointed out, a notification popping up on the screen.

“Haxorus can curl up and dodge… and then use Counter.”

“Good choice. If he lands a critical hit, Wigglytuff is more or less done for already.”

Yuuri suddenly stilled, furrowing his brows slightly. Then, he paused the simulation and turned to his mentor.

“I don’t have a chance to beat the team you put together here, do I?”

A small, rare smile spread on Lance’s lips.

“Very sharp, Yuuri. No, you have no way of beating the imaginary fairy-team yet, but…” he folded his arms over his chest, “…by the time we leave for the Hoenn League, and long before you get to challenge a Fairy Master, you and your team will be more than ready.”

 

Yuuri sighed heavily, slumping down on the chair in the waiting area at the Hoenn League Healing Station, burying his head in his hands, still shaking slightly from shock and exhaustion.

“He’s too strong.” He whispered quietly, feeling salt sting at the back of his eyes and spilling wetly onto his glasses and down his cheeks, unable to hold back a sob. The tension was being released after another very, very long day, and Yuuri really was at a breaking point, especially without Altaria available to help him calm down enough to think straight. She was, unfortunately, currently left in the League Nurse’s care to recover from fainting.

A hand on his shoulder made him slightly more aware of his mentor’s presence beside him.

“He’s too strong for now, perhaps.” Lance agreed patiently. “But you beat the whole Elite Four, even Glacia and Drake whom you definitely have a type disadvantage against… and in Drake’s case a type advantage, too, of course. Steven Stone, however, is quite a different matter. There are champions from other leagues that haven’t been able to beat him even once, which should say something about his level of skill.”

Despite the (attempted) words of encouragement, Yuuri was still unable to fight off the heavy feeling of disappointment and failure washing over him.

The last time it happened, Lance’s offer of mentoring him had been so abrupt afterwards that Yuuri forcibly had been snapped out of it. This time around, there was no such distraction. He had made it past the Hoenn Elite Four on his fifth try, but Steven and his team were like a solid steel wall, quite literally, and his Aggron had more or less single-handedly eliminated Yuuri’s whole team.

“Don’t beat yourself up.” Lance told him firmly, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “At your age, I had only recently left Blackthorn, you know.” The revelation made Yuuri look up through foggy glasses. “I only started my journey when I was twelve, because I was waiting for Clair to turn ten so she could accompany me. You’ve already challenged twenty-four gyms and won, even beaten eight Elite Four-members, and you’re not even a teenager yet.” Lance gave him a rare smile. “Take a breather, Yuuri, all right? You’ll get there.”

The slightest sliver of confidence lit up somewhere in the back of Yuuri’s mind, but it was still very hazy, as if hidden behind a veil.

“All right.” He finally sighed, accepting the sandwich Lance was offering him, nibbling on it. It would probably have been delicious hadn’t he been crying, which made everything taste like paper. He chewed on a tiny bite slowly. “…where do I go from here?”

Lance barely held back a sigh of relief. Yuuri’s relentless determination always amazed him, especially since the boy could be a nervous wreck right before a battle and yet somehow pull through with a skill and strength rarely seen amongst even the best of trainers. When he lost, he could lock himself up in his room at the closest Pokémon Center for hours and then exit the following day, ready to start training again.

And oh, had they been training. Several months had gone into sparring, polishing techniques, drawing up an enormous amount of battle strategies and making the Pokémon more comfortable in their own skin. Shelgon had yet to evolve into Salamence, probably fighting the evolution to the last possible moment due to the immense change in size it would mean for the Pokémon, but Dragonair had let go and evolved during a sparring session, thankfully one against Lance’s own Dragonite, which had made Yuuri’s job much easier. Vibrava had also let go and evolved into Flygon after Yuuri had sparred with him against Lorelei’s Dewgong.

His bond with his Pokémon was admirably strong, and Lance supposed that was the key to it all. Had Yuuri been alone, it would probably have been a different matter altogether, but he wasn’t. While he doubted himself often, which Lance had learned was most of the time, he always trusted his companions. He didn’t want to fail them, even when he felt he had failed himself.

“Well,” Lance replied once Yuuri seemed to be able to focus a little bit better, pulling out his tablet, “I suggest you travel to Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos, in that order, and challenge the Leagues there.” He showed Yuuri a map, pointing out the locations. “When you’ve beaten the region’s Elite Four, you move on to the next, regardless of how the battle with the champion turns out. I have to go back to the Indigo Plateau to face my own challengers, of course, but I would accompany you as much as possible still, and help you along the way the best I can. When you’re done with all that,” Lance smiled one of his rare smiles again, “it’s time you considered entering the Pokémon League Tournament, wouldn’t you say?”

Yuuri nibbled on his sandwich, thinking hard. He felt a little lost, but looking at the map Lance was showing him helped at least slightly.

“Why Sinnoh first?” he ultimately asked.

“Mainly because it’s the closest region from Hoenn apart from Kanto and Johto, but the question has more to do with why I placed Kalos last.”

“Then why Kalos last?”

“Because of the Fairy Master that runs the gym in Laverre City; you’re going to need all the training you can get before challenging the gym there. The same goes for the Kalos League Champion, Diantha. She uses a variety of types, sure, but her ace Pokémon is a Gardevoir, and we really need to work on your defenses before even attempting to take her on.”

Yuuri forgot about the sandwich in his hand, thoughts spinning around in his head at extreme speed.

Sinnoh…

…the image of a silver-haired coordinator with a stunning Alolan Ninetales performing a beautiful choreography appeared in Yuuri’s mind, and the mental picture made the flame return to his eyes with a spark.

Viktor was from Sinnoh. His father ran an ice-type gym in Sinnoh. If Yuuri wanted to impress Viktor, he would at least have to make sure his father saw him as a worthy opponent.

He nodded decisively.

“Then Sinnoh it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems I've counted wrong when I estimated this to be ten chapters. It's probably closer to fifteen... oops? :')
> 
> Added note: this chapter is kind of the deep breath before the plunge, because Yuuri is taking on three leagues in one chapter next...


	8. Who is he?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor learns that a whirlwind of a trainer is flooring the gyms in more than one region, and he's very, very intrigued.
> 
> Meanwhile, Yuuri's world is spinning with everything going on, all while taking on one gym after the other.

“Papa!” Viktor grinned as he flung his arms around his father’s neck, hugging him tightly. Alexander chuckled.

“Oh, Vitya,” he sighed dramatically, taking half a step back to take him in fully, “you’ve grown so much again; I swear you looked much smaller on TV. What is Lilia feeding you?”

“Evolutionary stones, probably.” Ekaterina guessed, closing the door behind her as Katya and Sneasel sprinted inside, Sylveon on their heels, heading straight for the backyard. If the noise from the living room was anything to go by, they managed to disturb Swinub’s beauty sleep in the process.

“My little boy is growing up and reminding me I’m getting old.” Alexander lamented while ruffling Viktor’s snow-damp hair affectionately, making him laugh. “And he just won a Master Ribbon in Nimbasa! In ten years, you’re going to have more ribbons than your mother.”

“No way!” Viktor managed to reply through the laughter, ducking his head to escape.

“You’re papa’s right, my little star.” Ekaterina backed her husband up, smiling fondly as she managed to pry her son’s jacket off him. “It won’t be long until you do.”

“I made some vegetable stew,” Alexander informed his wife and son as they shrugged off the rest of their outdoor clothing, gesturing towards the kitchen, “I figured you would be hungry.”

“Did you have any challengers while we were gone, darling?” Viktor’s mother asked as they sat down around the kitchen table. Alexander lit up, a bright smile spreading on his lips.

“A few.” He nodded eagerly. “But only one beat me. It was the best battle I’ve had in years!”

Both Viktor and Ekaterina stilled, turning their gazes to him. Alexander’s aquamarine eyes were sparkling the way they did only when he recalled a particularly good memory, or when he was very excited about something. Ekaterina cleared her throat to snap him back to reality.

“Really?”

“Really.” He confirmed, serving himself some potatoes and stew. “The boy was only twelve years old, and he entered the gym with five dragons on his team and thirty gym badges under his belt. He completely wiped the floor with m-”

“Thirty gym badges!?” Viktor exclaimed in surprise, his mother’s fork slipping out of her grasp and onto the plate with a ‘clink’ as she jumped in double surprise.

“To be correct, he had thirty-one after he completely wrecked my whole team, healed his Pokémon and flew off towards Sunyshore.” Alexander confirmed, eyes still sparkling with excitement, a broad grin on his face.

Viktor was at a complete loss.

“…but he had a type disadvantage…” he tried weakly. Alexander smiled apologetically.

“Well, apparently, he had already managed to beat two Ice Masters before, both of them Elite Four-members. And I admit that hadn’t the boy kept amazing and surprising me every five seconds, I probably would have been able to perform a little better.” He sighed almost nostalgically. “It was really refreshing. It’s only a matter of time before he enters the Pokémon League Tournament, mark my words.”

Ekaterina was speechless. Viktor, on the other hand, was gaping, wide-eyed, food completely forgotten.

“Who was he?” he asked, feeling awestruck over a person he had never even met. Alexander’s smiled sadly.

“You know I shouldn’t tell you that; the information on the Trainer Card is confidential and I’ve already shared knowledge about his age and badge count that I really shouldn’t have.” He paused. “But he did introduce himself by his first name, so…”

“Then what was his first name?” Viktor almost whispered, his heartrate speeding up in anticipation. His father’s smile turned soft.

“He introduced himself as Yuuri.”

 

**

 

“He’s grown so much since I last saw him.” Iris grinned as she patted Haxorus’ chin fondly, admiring the steel-hard scales glinting in the sunlight. “You were just a tiny little Axew back then, honey.” She offered him the last PokéPuff in her hand before turning to his trainer with a curious expression. “What is it you do with your dragons, Yuuri?”

Said dragon trainer blinked in confusion.

“What do you mean?” he asked, dumbfounded. Iris giggled.

“Well,” she said, gesturing to Haxorus, “first off, if you compare _your_ guy to _my_ guy…” she pointed to her own Haxorus right beside his, “…yours is larger. Haxorus rarely grows past two meters, but yours is at _least_ that.”

“Oh,” Yuuri murmured sheepishly, scratching his neck, “I haven’t even thought about that.”

“Secondly, your _big_ guy over there that evolved, what, a week ago,” Iris continued, indicating Salamence who was downing an enormous bowl of XXXXL-puffs like he had been starving for a month, “is _much_ bigger than a regular Salamence. I mean, they’re usually about a meter and a half from head to toe, maybe two. He’s at least two and a half!”

“He is on the larger side, definitely,” Yuuri agreed, “he almost tore down a couple of trees when he evolved. I mean, we expected him to be a little bigger than an average Sal-”

“ _A little?_ ” Iris exclaimed, gaping at him. “Yuuri, darling, he’s almost _twice_ the size of an average Salamence.”

“Now you’re exaggerating,” Yuuri protested, shaking his head, “but I admit he is big.”

Iris sighed, “As I asked, what do you do to them?” she linked arms with him and smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes that didn’t go unnoticed.

“Anyway, you have an Altaria, right?” Yuuri blinked, surprised by the sudden question, but nodded. Iris patted his arm. “Good. I need to show you something.”

“Let me just…” Yuuri quickly let Flygon and Dragonite out to socialize with their teammates and Iris’ Pokémon before allowing her to drag him along. “What do you need to show me that I would need Altaria for?”

“Well, _you’re_ not going to need her, per say,” Iris explained, a grim look falling like a shadow over her otherwise cheerful expression, “but the little guy will.” She sighed again, leading him towards the barn, “You see… we found him only days ago by the edge of the property. He was alone, and he was wounded.”

Yuuri frowned, “Battle against another wild Pokémon?”

“I wish.” Iris shook her head glumly. “We have strong reason to believe his mother has fallen victim to illegal poaching.”

A grim expression fell over Yuuri's features in turn.

“Altaria, come on out.” He told his cotton cloud softly, the Pokémon immediately letting herself out of the PokéBall. “Should I stand back?” he asked Iris.

“No need.” She assured him as she opened the door to the barn. “He’s jumpy, but you smell of other dragons, so it’s fine. Just keep an eye out.” She looked around the space, more specifically along the walls and the many small nests of hay filling the floor.

“Deino? It’s Iris. I brought friends.” She coaxed softly. A barely audible rustle was heard from somewhere by the far wall, followed by a low growl and something that sounded like a sneeze. “Ah, there he is, come.”

They cautiously approached, slowly but steadily, giving the nervous Pokémon a chance to adjust to the thought of company. Iris nudged Yuuri, and he placed a hand on Altaria’s neck in turn, giving her a light pat. She understood immediately and went ahead, humming before she even landed, enveloping the small Pokémon neither Iris nor Yuuri had even been able to spot yet into her fluff.

“There he is.” Iris pointed. Sure enough, lovingly cradled in Altaria’s cottony wings was the Deino in question, seemingly all healed up and in good health after having spent a few days with the Unovan dragon family. “His physical wounds are all gone now, but he’s traumatized after whatever he went through before turning up here.” She paused as she motioned for Yuuri to crouch beside her in front of Altaria. She gave his arm a slight squeeze. “I was so relieved when you gave me a call yesterday, you know.”

“You want me to take him.” Yuuri nodded in understanding. Iris looked relieved that he did.

“Yes. This place, Unova in general, holds too many traumatic memories for him. Deino and its evolutions are naturally aggressive, and this little guy in particular is quite jumpy on top of it all. They’re blind and never gain the sense of sight, so they rely heavily on smell and sound. Staying in the same environment it associates with anything traumatizing...” she shook her head again. Yuuri frowned.

“Has he hurt himself while he’s been here?”

“Continuously.” Iris sighed heavily, frowning in turn. “He’s rammed into the barn wall more times than we can count, and we’ve had to let Haxorus feed him with a bottle because he keeps trying to bite everyone’s fingers off. At least Haxorus can take a few crunches.” She turned to Yuuri. “He needs to get away from Unova, and he needs a strong trainer. That you have an Altaria with you is going to keep your fingers safe while feeding him, at least for as long as that might be a problem.”

Yuuri worried his bottom lip, reaching out to stroke the dark fur on Deino’s head. It was softer than it looked.

“I’ll take him.” He confirmed. “Just give me his ball… and his file if he has one.”

Iris looked like she was about to spill tears of relief.

“Thank you.” She murmured, giving him a sad smile. “I owe you one.”

 

“Mega Evolution?”

“Yeah!” Korrina smiled brightly, standing proudly beside her Mega Lucario. “They don’t allow Mega Evolution in competitive battling yet, because even if the phenomenon’s been around for ages, it’s only recently that it’s become more common among Master Trainers.”

“But I’m no Master Tr-”

“Oh, please,” the Shalour City gym leader rolled her eyes, resting a hand on her hip, “with that kind of bond with your Pokémon, it would be a waste not to consider the possibility of Mega Evolution. At least take the Mega Bracelet you earned.” She gestured to the silver band in Yuuri’s hands, which he was currently looking at with a dumbfounded expression, before continuing:

“Now, to Mega Evolve, your Pokémon will need the counterparts to your Mega Bracelet; so called Mega Stones. As far as your team goes, I only know that there is a Salamencite and an Altarianite… there may be more, of course, but they haven’t been discovered yet.” She grinned brightly. “You should ask Professor Sycamore about it if you get the chance in Lumiose, okay? But don’t think too hard about it for now; go on with the Kalos League challenge first. Like I said, it’s against the rules to use Mega Evolution in League challenges still.”

Yuuri stored the Mega Bracelet in his bag for the time being.

 

“Deino, _no!_ ” Yuuri threw himself over his newest team member, holding the struggling dragon back. “ _Deino!_ ” he clicked his tongue sharply. “You’re scaring the poor thing, calm down.”

It took a lot of gentle coaxing and a handful of PokéPuffs for Deino to relax, while the small, pink and violet blob watched them curiously from behind a rock. With the dark- and dragon-type safely enveloped in Altaria’s wings, Yuuri approached the tiny Goomy carefully, crawling over on all fours.

“Sorry about that, little one,” he apologized softly, offering it a PokéPuff as consolation, “he still has trouble recognizing a real threat from a… well, not threat.” He placed the puff on the ground, and the gooey blob slid towards it slowly, sniffing it warily before opening its strangely shaped mouth to devour it. Yuuri offered the mini-dragon another one, observing its behavior closely as it ate.

It’s antennae and whole body were twitching slightly.

Yuuri sighed, pulling a hand through his hair.

“He bit you, didn’t he?” he muttered, trying to look for some kind of mark that would confirm the theory, but the gooey body didn’t give much away. Shaking his head, he pulled out a PokéBall. “I’d better take you to a Pokémon Center.”

 

“Only one gym left and then we’re off to the Kalos Pokémon League.” Lance encouraged Yuuri as they headed towards Snowbelle City on foot for a change, letting Salamence and Dragonite take a breather. “Valerie and her fairies were a struggle, sure, but you pulled through there brilliantly. Teaching Haxorus Poison Jab and Salamence Steel Wing really paid off. You have a very good sense of strategy.”

“Thank you.” Yuuri replied humbly, keeping an eye on Deino, who was running around and sniffing everything he could find. “I’ll try my best in Snowbelle.”

“Don’t _try_ , Yuuri,” Lance reminded him firmly, “ _do_. Do your best; I know you will. Now, Yakov is an experienced gym leader, but I guarantee he will be thrown off guard when he realizes you’re more than prepared for ice-types, just like Alexander and Brycen were. Your multiple battles and sparring sessions against Lorelei haven't been for naught.”

Yuuri nodded, worrying his bottom lip. When he had challenged Alexander, Viktor had been in Nimbasa City for a contest, and this time around, Yuuri knew the coordinator was occupied with the off-season exhibition show in Lilycove.

He felt simultaneously disappointed and relieved.

“Well, this is where I leave you for now,” Lance stated as they reached the center of Snowbelle City and Yuuri clicked his tongue to coax Deino back to his side, “I’ll be waiting at the Pokémon Center.”

“All right.” Yuuri replied, scooping up the dragon in his arms as it started bumping into his leg in another one of its moments of annoyance. “Meet you there later.”

 

“Welcome to Snowbelle Gym!” the attendant greeted Yuuri, and the young dragon trainer was really starting to wonder if every single gym guide in every single region was following some sort of script they weren’t allowed to alter much. “May I have your Trainer Card, please?”

“Here.” Yuuri replied, Trainer Card already in hand as per habit. The attendant scanned it, and Yuuri waited for the by now familiar reaction.

Sure enough, the attendant’s jaw dropped to the floor as she stared at the screen where information about his age, badges, Elite Four wins and team were currenly displayed.

“ _Sacre Arceus!_ ” she exclaimed, bewildered. “Wow, okay! Apparently, you’re skipping the trainer battles, as we don’t have any ace trainers here that match your approximate level of skill.” Yuuri’s cheeks dusted pink involuntarily. “Which means you go straight to the gym leader.” Having collected herself somewhat, she handed Yuuri his Trainer Card back, “Yakov uses a variety of ice-types, and he will be using six against you. Usually, I would now give you a rundown concerning type-advantages, but it really seems you’re not going to need it.”

“Not really, no.” Yuuri smiled awkwardly, highly apologetic. “But thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” The attendant smiled warmly as she pulled out a set of keys from her pocket. “I’ll take you directly to the main battle court; follow me.”

 

Less than an hour later, a baffled Yakov recalled his very much fainted Avalugg while Salamence landed softly beside his trainer, who awarded him with praise, pats and PokéPuffs.

“You’re on a whole different level than any other challenger I’ve had in years, boy.” The gym leader commented, Iceberg Badge already in hand as he met Yuuri by the entrance. “Badge Case, please.” Yuuri handed it to him on autopilot.

“Thank you for the battle.” He told the gym leader humbly. Yakov grunted.

“I should be the one thanking you.” He stated, pinning the badge in place. “Are you challenging the Kalos Pokémon League next?”

Yuuri nodded in confirmation, “I’m headed there with my mentor immediately; we’ve already booked rooms at the Pokémon Center by Victory Road.”

Yakov frowned slightly, brows furrowed.

“How old were you again… Yuuri, was it?” Yuuri blinked, repeating the sudden question in his head as he attempted to reply.

“Y-yes, it was… I’m thirteen.”

He blushed furiously as the gym leader’s expression turned into something akin to bewilderment.

“Extraordinary…” Yakov murmured. Then, he shook his head suddenly, snapping out of it and extending his hand, “I look forward meeting you at a Pokémon League Tournament in the future, boy.” Yuuri recalled Salamence and shook the offered hand.

“Likewise, Mister Feltsman.”

“Yakov, boy. It’s Yakov.”

 

**

 

“Vitya,” the gym leader sighed, exasperated, as the not-yet-Top Coordinator recalled his fainted Froslass, accepting defeat against the Master Trainer, “you _really_ need to start focusing more on strategy and less on making the battling look good. I _know_ that’s what you get points for, but you can’t even _make_ it look good if you don’t know what you’re doing in the first place. You do realize that this is the reason you weren’t able to win at the Grand Festival this year?”

“I still made it to the Grand Festival, didn’t I?” Viktor bit back, defeat settling heavily in his gut. Yakov met his gaze with one equally as stubborn.

“After having lost to Fantina in Lumiose and then to your former mentor at the first Contest Spectacular of the season it wasn’t looking too promising,” he stated bluntly, “but somehow you pulled through in the remaining contests leading up to the Grand Festival anyway, and I’ll give you that; you soldiered on. But you still lost to Fantina in the end, and we’re going to make sure you don’t repeat that mistake next season.”

Viktor sighed deeply, shoulders slumping slightly as he cradled Katya to his chest for comfort.

“Yeah, okay.” He murmured, knowing full well Yakov was right but really not wanting to admit it aloud. Yakov sighed in turn.

“Come on,” he grunted, walking over to Viktor and steering him towards the door to the indoor training court with a hand on his shoulder, “let’s go have our Pokémon healed up.” He paused momentarily, “You have improved, Vitya, and I recognize that, believe me. You only need to realize that you have to start putting in as much effort into your battle strategies as into your choreographies. You communicate well with your Pokémon already; you merely need to translate the choreography into battling more efficiently.”

“…it’s hard.” Viktor finally admitted, congratulating himself for not doing so through gritted teeth. “Really hard. The routines come to me naturally, but the battling is…” he sighed, exasperated.

Yakov hummed shortly, mulling something over for a moment while they handed over their PokéBalls to the nurse and went to sit down to wait.

“You know,” he said slowly, hos voice a little softer, catching Viktor’s attention with the change of tone, “while you were in Lilycove for the exhibition, I had an inspiring challenger here at the gym. He beat me against all odds, having only dragons on his team… and he was younger than you.”

Viktor immediately turned his full attention to his mentor, his eyes widening with recognition.

“Papa told me a young dragon trainer had beaten him during the time mama and I were in Unova for the Ferriswheel Cup.” He revealed. “It must have been the same one.”

“Quite possibl-”

“Was his name Yuuri?” Viktor pried, looking almost pleadingly at his mentor, begging him to confirm a person with such a name existed in reality and not only in his mind. “His name must’ve been Yuuri.”

To Viktor's inexplicably enormous relief, Yakov nodded in confirmation, “It was. His battle strategies were very refined and polished for a thirteen-year-old. I also recently found out that he managed to make it past the Kalos Elite Four as well, but Diantha apparently beat him in the end. Still," he shrugged, "I was impressed.”

The gym leader paused again, eyeing Viktor closely, “Keep an eye out, Vitya. That boy is undoubtedly going to enter the Pokémon League Tournament very soon, and when that happens, you’d better be paying attention. I believe his style of battling could be… inspiring for you.”

He had no idea how right he was.

Neither did Viktor.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh sheesh the time jumps! I'm so sorry, but Yuuri is advancing to the Pokémon League Tournaments, which means more battling... and more inspiration for Viktor and his battling troubles.


	9. Pokémon League Tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri returns to Hasetsu after three years on the road, and according to Lance, he's ready to enter the Pokémon League Tournament.
> 
> Or: Viktor finds his inspiration, and he can't handle it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: overuse of italics.

Hiroko Katsuki cried tears of joy when Yuuri landed in the backyard of Yu-Topia Akatsuki Dragon Shelter late in the afternoon, his mentor following right behind, the abnormally large Salamence and Dragonite startling a flock of Taillow that made the surrounding trees rustle as they fled in the direction of Petalburg Woods. Yuuri’s mother embraced her son tightly and welcomed him home, immediately offering the two dragons some XXXXL-puffs as a welcoming gift before dragging Yuuri and his mentor into the house.

Toshiya got unusually emotional when Yuuri displayed the six filled-up Badge Cases and the certificates signed by the five Elite Four-leaders respectively as a documentation of his progress in the regions he had traveled to. Mari ruffled his hair affectionately.

“Look at you, kid, kicking some Master Trainer ass.” She grinned as they headed back out into the yard together with Hiroko while Lance and Toshiya remained inside to discuss Yuuri’s progress. “Who would have thought that, huh?”

Yuuri merely shook his head, but a small smile crept to his lips as he released Haxorus, Altaria, Flygon and Dragonite for some fresh air after the long flight from Kalos back to Hoenn. He then pulled out a handful of PokéPuffs before releasing the newly evolved Zweilous, quickly dividing the puffs in both hands to feed the Pokémon with something familiar as he was already getting anxious about the change of smell and the new sounds around him.

“Hey, shh,” Yuuri hushed and quickly pulled a hand away as the more aggressive head tried to take an extra bite, “it’s safe here, Zweiluos, all right? Safe. I love you.”

When he was certain the part dark-type wasn’t going to attack the closest thing that moved (or just ram himself into the nearest rock), he left Altaria to keep an eye on Zweilous and headed back over to his mother and sister, pulling out a seventh PokéBall.

“I have a Pokémon here that should probably stay at the shelter. She needs a shady and damp environment, and I think that the swamp by the edge of the woods of the shelter would be perfect for her.”

“Well, let her out then.” Mari prompted.

Yuuri tossed the ball, releasing the Goomy that Deino had bitten on their way to Laverre City. She materialized with a cheery “gooo!”, bobbing on the spot as she looked around, locating Yuuri first and sliding over to him, leaving a slimy trail across the grass in her wake.

Mari stared.

“A Goomy?” she asked, catching the mini-dragon’s attention as she spoke, “You brought a Goomy?”

“Goooo-my!” the gooey Pokémon exclaimed happily as it slid over to Mari instead to sniff her shoes, poking them with her antennae. Mari’s expression softened almost unwillingly and Hiroko giggled at the display.

“She’s… cute.” Mari decided, looking down at the tiny dragon that was gazing right back at her with beady eyes. “But very… gooey.”

“Please, take good care of her.” Yuuri begged as he handed Goomy’s file, that he had received at the Pokémon Center in Laverre, to his mother. “Deino managed to bite her when he got scared, and I had to take her with me to heal her up. I think she would have it better here where she can thrive in the swamp and the damp crevices by the spring rather than staying with me.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you.” Hiroko said softly, looking at Goomy’s file. “Oh, look, Mari! She has a sassy nature!”

“…meaning she’s gooey and slow.” Mari muttered under her breath, bending down to let the Pokémon poke her hand with its antennae in favor of saving her shoes from the slimy substance rubbing onto them from Goomy’s body.

“And that she likes bitter food the most.” Hiroko chirped, closing the file and turning to Yuuri. “Does she eat PokéPuffs? Or just leaves?”

“Both.” He confirmed.

“All right.” She noted. “I’ll bring your dragons something to eat, what do they prefer? Besides some bitter leaves and puffs for Goomy here?”

“Three spicy, two dry, and one sweet.” Yuuri replied automatically. “Use medium puffs for one of the dry portions and give them to me; Zweilous isn’t very trusting towards new people.”

Hiroko nodded with a smile of understanding and headed back into the house. Mari sighed, standing up again to face her brother.

“I’ll take care of Goomy.” She confirmed, still trying to get used to the thought that she was going to have a blob of goo following her around. Yuuri gave her a thankful smile and handed her Goomy’s PokéBall.

“Please do.” He paused, then grinned. “You’re going to need a lot of hand soap.”

Mari groaned.

 

“ _Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home!?_ ”

Yuuri flinched, scratching his neck apologetically.

“I’m sorry, Minako.”

The retired Kimono Girl huffed, pointing her index finger at him accusingly.

“Three years on the road and you don’t say a word when you finally return to Hasetsu?” she scolded, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. “You’ve grown so much. I’ve missed you, kid.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” Yuuri told her truthfully, voice muffled into the fabric of her sweater. “And Espeon, of course.”

“She’s missed her playmate.” Minako stated as they parted, gesturing out the window to her psychic-type eeveelution that had made a beeline for Haxorus, who was leaning against a rock in the backyard. “He’s a little bigger than he was the last time they met, though.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri agreed, observing as Haxorus let Espeon jump up to sit on his leg, “a little.”

 

“I would suggest that Yuuri continues to train with me at the Indigo Plateau for now.” Lance said after dinner, when their bellies had been filled to the brim with katsudon, a divine specialty dish of Hiroko’s consisting of rice, Swellow egg, onions and vegetables. “That way, he’ll be more than ready to enter the Pokémon League Tournament in five months’ time.”

Yuuri’s head immediately snapped in his direction, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“Five months? I would enter this year?”

“Yes.” Lance replied confidently, accepting the cup of sake Toshiya was handing him. “You have all the potential, and you have already beaten forty-eight gym leaders and twenty Elite Four-members in the exact six regions that partake in the tournament. You’re more than ready, and you’re old enough.”

“That’s where you’ll have to go to become a Dragon Master, Yuuri.” Minako backed his mentor up. “The Tournament will give you the perfect opportunity to face the representative Dragon Masters when they’re using their ace Pokémon. The sooner you enter, the better progress you will make in the years to come.”

“Yeah, who knows,” Mari grinned at her brother, “you might just become the youngest Dragon Master in history.”

Yuuri blushed furiously, shaking his head fervently.

“That’s… that’s impossible.” He protested. “Iris was eighteen when she claimed the title at the Tournamet last year. I can’t possibly do better than that!”

“You’re entering the Tournament at thirteen.” Hiroko reminded him, smiling gently. “That’s five years to beat the record, no?”

“And even if you wouldn’t beat Iris to the title of youngest Dragon Master of all time, it doesn’t mean you should give up altogether.” Lance stated firmly. “I got the title at twenty-four, and good old Drake only gained it at thirty.”

“But…”

“Have you that little faith in you team?” Minako asked him sternly. Yuuri immediately fell silent. She gave him ‘a look’. “That’s what I thought.”

“In that case,” Lance said, a tone of finality in his voice, “I’ll be awaiting your return to the Indigo Plateau on Monday. I have to return there tomorrow, but you stay here with your family for the rest of the week.” He gave Yuuri a nod. “A well-deserved moment of rest.”

Yuuri was eternally grateful.

 

Later that evening, Yuuri watched a rerun of the Super Contest in Sinnoh from the previous season. Viktor and his stunning Alolan Ninetales enchanted the audience, shining like the brightest stars as they easily stood victorious in the choreography round. In the battle round, Viktor had opted to use Froslass, who took the win over the opposing Raichu.

However, Yuuri found himself frowning slightly.

Viktor’s battling style was elegant, yet it seemed… flawed. Somehow. And familiar, too. He supposed he had gotten something of his father’s techniques in there, but it wasn’t only that.

 _Ah, Yakov, of course_ , Yuuri thought. _And maybe a little bit of Wallace, too._

Watching Viktor stand on top of the podium with Ninetales and Froslass, accepting the ribbon and the flowers with a dazzling smile, reality dawned on Yuuri like a punch in the gut.

The Pokémon League Tournament was televised. And since Alexander, Yakov and Wallace were all entering it, Viktor would more than likely watch it live.

Yuuri felt faint.

He was going to have to push harder than ever before in his entire life to be able to not make a fool out of himself on camera in front of the whole world. In front of Viktor.

 _Maybe he doesn’t watch the tournaments,_ a voice pondered in Yuuri’s head. _Maybe he’s not interested…_

The simultaneous feeling of dread and disappointment settled heavily in his gut and on his shoulders, and Yuuri resolved to watch a few reruns of Viktor’s older routines to calm down a little, trying to think about something else. In the end, he let Altaria lull him to sleep anyway, too many thoughts flying around messily in his head.

The real challenge had barely begun.

Yet it was right around the corner.

 

**

 

Viktor slumped down on the couch in Lilia’s living room, exhausted. Katya, Sneasel and Ninetales made a beeline for the enormous ice-cooler the size of a jacuzzi in the corner, Froslass’ head appearing in the middle of it as she joined them.

Lilia’s Persian snuck up on the couch with Viktor, demanding attention, and Viktor petted her somewhat warily. Persian liked being paid attention to, but not necessarily to be touched for too long. She did purr, however, and settled down comfortably beside him, making Viktor relax.

He and his team had worked their bones weary during the day under Lilia’s demanding training, and after a shower and dinner, Lilia had retreated to the library while Viktor had headed straight for the ridiculously comfortable ottoman in the living room.

Suddenly, his Xtransceiver beeped, signaling an incoming text. Viktor sighed heavily, lazily lifting his left arm from the couch and his right from Persian’s back to unlock the device and have a look.

It was from Yakov.

Frowning a little in hazy-minded confusion as to why Yakov would text him in the middle of the Pokémon League Tournament, he poked the small icon of an envelope to read:

 **Yakov:** Turn on the TV, channel 2.

Viktor blinked, immediately feeling more awake, already reaching for the remote on the tea table. He sent back a simple “ok” to Yakov and switched on the TV, changing to channel 2.

_“…representing the Hoenn League is Water Master and Leader of Sootopolis Gym, Wallace!”_

They were sending live from the Tournament in Hoenn, and Viktor’s former mentor was currently ascending to the trainer stand on the League’s side of the battle arena, waving to the audience with his trademark charming smile as the camera zoomed out to showcase the arena; an enormous pool filled with water, with only small patches of grass here and there like small, floating islands.

Viktor sat up a little straighter, suddenly having a strong hunch as to why Yakov had texted him.

 _“Wallace has had yet another successful year as gym leader, awarding the Rain Badge to only thirty-two challengers out of the two-hundred-and-sixteen he’s faced since the previous Pokémon League Tournament.”_ The announcer continued as the camera zoomed in on Wallace, a hand on his hip as he charmed the audience with his mere presence. _“And challenging Wallace today in his first ever Pokémon League Tournament battle, from Hasetsu in Hoenn, Yuuri Katsuki!”_

Viktor didn’t even notice the gasp that escaped his lips as he leaned forward, watching as a boy with jet-black hair entered the arena on the opposite side from Wallace. He was dressed in a black and navy blue battling outfit, and as the camera zoomed in, Viktor could make out the blue half-rimmed glasses framing a pair of dark, maroon eyes that were focused straight ahead.

It had to be him. This Yuuri Katsuki had to be the trainer that both his father and Yakov had been impressed by. Yakov had undoubtedly found out Yuuri would be competing next and texted Viktor immediately, seeing to it that he watched.

The old man wouldn’t need to worry. Viktor would be watching very closely.

 _“Thirteen-year-old Yuuri Katsuki has an impressive record as a dragon trainer at his young age.”_ The announcer informed the TV-audience as Yuuri stepped onto the platform that would elevate him to the trainer stand opposite Wallace, fists clenched in something akin to nervousness. _“He has challenged the leagues in Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, as well as the Indigo League in Kanto and Johto, and now holds a whopping forty-eight gym badges and five Elite Four certificates, and all in all, this means that Katsuki only has yet to beat the champions to complete the League challenges. He has been training under Indigo League Champion, Dragon Master Lance during the past two years.”_

The camera zoomed in on the carmine-haired champion in the front row of the audience, arms crossed over his chest and a stoic expression on his features, gaze fixed on his student.

_“Katsuki had beaten Wallace once before, three years ago, and he’s now here to try again, this time with a more solid, fully-evolved team of dragons. Also, unlike in the gym challenge, Wallace will be using his ace Pokémon and not a gym battle-adapted team._

_“In the Gym Leader-round, both competitors will enter the battle with three Pokémon each, and Wallace has chosen an arena that plays to his strengths. How the young dragon trainer will handle it is going to be interesting to see.”_

Viktor had long since forgotten all about Persian, who was glaring at him accusingly before promptly moving over to the other side of the couch to curl up and sleep there instead. Unconsciously, he was gripping the pillow in his lap hard, watching intently with bated breath.

How _would_ Yuuri handle it?

 

**

 

“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you here for three years, Yuuri.” Wallace told his challenger as it was his turn to give Yuuri a heads-up before the battle. “I’d wish you good luck, but that’s not what you need. Instead, I wish you a good battle.”

Yuuri attempted to listen to what Wallace was saying through the noise of his adrenaline spiking and blood rushing around in his head, thrumming against his eardrums.

_Focus!_

Imagining Altaria humming beside him, he took a deep breath and then nodded, determination spreading from head to toe as he remembered he was supposed to speak in turn:

“Thank you.” He told Wallace with a nod, hoping the slight shakiness in his voice would go unnoticed. “I wish you a good battle, too.”

Wallace smiled his dazzlingly charming smile, giving Yuuri a wink across the arena.

“This is a one-on-one battle.” The Head Judge listed the rules. “Both the gym leader and the challenger enter the battle with three Pokémon each. The League representative sends out their Pokémon first, and the battle begins on my signal.”

Wallace pulled his first PokéBall from his belt, tossing it in the air and catching it again for effect, his gaze fixed on Yuuri as he did. As if Yuuri wasn’t already nervous enough, the Water Master then smirked.

“All right,” he said, throwing the ball for real, “do your best, Whiscash!”

The water- and ground-type landed in the water, showing it was ready to fight by crying out loudly as its trainer assumed his battle stance. Yuuri bit the inside of his bottom lip, thinking hard and fast while his hand was already reaching for the first PokéBall in his belt. Deciding to go with the strategy he had had in mind, he grabbed the ball decisively.

“Let’s go, Altaria!”

His cottony dragon materialized in the air above the pool with a piercing battle cry in her soprano voice, locating her opponent in the water as she hovered in front of it, examining it closely. Yuuri assumed his own battle stance, immediately feeling the rest of the world fade away as only Altaria, Whiscash and Wallace remained.

He took a deep breath, waiting for the bell.

A beat passed, then two…

_Ding!_

“Altaria, use Safeguard, then Sunny Day!” Yuuri immediately ordered.

“Whiscash, use Rain Dance to counter the Sunny Day, then use Double Team!” Wallace caught right on.

Just as Yuuri had dared to hope, Wallace immediately tried to gain back control of the situation, the Sunny Day and the Rain Dance canceling each other out, leading to no weather changes at all. Now, he could only hope that Wallace wouldn’t anticipate him to try the same stunt again later, but first…

“Whiscash, use Ice Beam!”

“Dodge, Altaria, and use Dragon Pulse!”

Altaria skillfully maneuvered out of the way from the devastating Ice Beam and immediately countered with Dragon Pulse, pushing the opponent down below the surface and then made it plop back up due to the aftershock.

“Aerial Ace!”

It didn’t take long for the battle to escalate in intensity, and Yuuri’s senses heightened further. Altaria didn’t manage to dodge the Mud-Bomb completely, and attempted to get rid of the mud in her wings by quickly dipping down into the pool and back up, but that made her wings wet and she flapped them faster to shake it all off. However, Whiscash was getting tired from Altaria’s relentless pursuits to drag it out of the water, and Wallace would no doubt try and turn the tables on them any minute.

“Whiscash, use Blizzard!”

That was exactly what Yuuri had been waiting for.

“Altaria, use Dazzling Gleam, then Sunny Day!”

A flash of white engulfed the arena for a moment, catching Whiscash off guard. Then, the white disappeared, leaving the whole stadium bathing in warm, golden light, melting the snow and ice from the Blizzard that got cut short due to the sudden Dazzling Gleam.

“Whiscash, Dive!” Wallace shouted as realization dawned on him, but Yuuri relied on Altaria’s speed in contrast to the slower Whiscash:

“Solar Beam!”

A harsh ray of sunlight shot down from above, Altaria targeting her opponent dead-on. The water below didn’t save the part ground-type from the unforgiving impact, much quicker in its execution due to the Sunny Day.

Whiscash fainted instantly.

 

**

 

Viktor gaped, stunned, and then found himself clapping excitedly along with the cheering audience, rooting for the dragon trainer. Wallace recalled Whiscash while Altaria stayed in the air, her now mostly dry wings flowing softly up and down to keep her hovering in front of her trainer, cooing softly as Yuuri praised her for a job well done.

_“Katsuki turns the tables around completely and takes down Wallace’s first Pokémon! Altaria stays on the field, and Wallace is now sending out his Gyarados, it seems.”_

Wallace did indeed send out his Gyarados, and this time, he really gave the young challenger a run for his money. Viktor whined in agony as Altaria went down with a powerful Hyper Beam, crashing down into the water as she fainted. Wallace’s fan club was cheering loudly as Yuuri recalled his knocked-out ally and produced a second PokéBall, a look of steel determination on his features.

A majestic Salamence took over, and Viktor’s eyes widened to the size of saucers as the dragon materialized with a deep, rumbling roar. The dragon was definitely larger than a regular Salamence, and definitely the largest Viktor had ever seen, looming in the air above Gyarados menacingly, as if protecting its trainer. Yuuri’s fists clenched, and Viktor’s did the same, nails digging into the pillow in his lap.

The battle was even more intense than the first round. Viktor almost thought Salamence would be going down with Gyarados’ Ice Fang, but Yuuri seemed to have decided Viktor wasn’t surprised enough yet.

_“Dodge it, Salamence, and use Thunder Fang; aim for its throat!”_

With lightning speed, Salamence veered to the side, dipped down and latched onto the exact spot Yuuri had instructed it to, biting down with sparks of electricity emitting from its fangs. Gyarados gave up a loud, pained roar, sinking back down into the water as the shock spread through its whole body without mercy.

A stunned Wallace retrieved yet another fainted companion, and Salamence landed on the biggest patch of grass it could find, panting slightly from exhaustion.

Viktor bit his bottom lip in anticipation.

_“And Wallace is down to his signature Pokémon, the beautiful Milotic who has not only won him countless of Tournament battles, but also a multitude of Pokémon Contests worldwide.”_

Viktor knew that Milotic very well.

He had never managed to beat it.

…but maybe Yuuri could give him some ideas.

“You can do it.” He found himself murmuring, as if willing Yuuri to hear him despite the distance.

Salamence, however, was too exhausted after the battle against the tough Gyarados, and Yuuri was soon forced to let his second fainted dragon return to its PokéBall with some mild frost damage after the Ice Beam it failed to dodge a third time.

_“Challenger Yuuri Katsuki is now also down to his last Pokémon. Let’s see what he ha-, oh! It’s a Dragonite, a signature for his mentor, Indigo League Champion Lance. Look how gracefully it moves; it’s as if it never stopped being a Dragonair even though it evolved!”_

“Wow.” Viktor breathed, watching the Dragonite hover steadily right above the surface of the water, waiting for its trainer to give an order. “Come on, you can do it…!”

 

**

 

Yuuri had never dealt out orders faster in his entire life as Dragonite went up against Wallace’s signature Milotic. They were about equal in speed, and there was no time to use Dragon Dance as Yuuri’s every second command was now “dodge!”.

Essentially, the two Pokémon danced back and forth, attacking, dodging, and missing the target by mere millimeters in something that looked like a well-polished choreography. Apparently, Wallace thought the same as his eyes started to sparkle in the same way they did when he performed a contest routine.

Yuuri would have been lying if he had said he wasn’t enjoying himself despite the pressure.

“Disarming Voice!”

“I love you, Dragonite!” Yuuri shouted on instinct, getting the dragon to snap out of the emotionally confused state, but the momentary predicament gave Wallace time to strike.

“Milotic, use Dragon Tail!”

Yuuri almost let out a sigh of relief as he heard the command.

“Iron Tail!”

Milotic’s tail collided harshly with Dragonite’s now steel one, neither of the budging, trapped in a deadlock. Wallave broke it first:

“Milotic, Ice Beam!”

“Get down in the water, Dragonite!” Yuuri quickly shouted, and Dragonite complied, plunging into the pool as the surface froze above it.

“Get down, Milotic, and use Water Pulse!”

“Up, Dragonite!”

The dragon shot out of the water as Milotic landed in it, the former narrowly escaping the attack. The water pulsated violently, sending a powerful wave through the pool that even splashed the people in the front rows of the audience.

“Another Ice Beam, Milotic!”

“Down, Dragonite!” Yuuri commanded, heart beating harshly against his ribcage as he noticed their chance. “Thunderbolt!”

The entire audience gasped in surprise as Dragonite sent a sharp bolt of electricity into the highly conductive water from its own side of the arena, making it travel quicker than through the air and leaving Milotic no chance to get out of the pool in time, even though Wallace shouted out to her to do so.

But no.

The Thunderbolt hit full force, stunning Wallace’s ace Pokémon for a brief moment before she went limp, her upper body hitting the water with a loud splash.

Yuuri stood dumbfounded for a second before Dragonite made an elegant loop in the air and sped over to him, forcing him to snap out if it and hug his dragon tightly, showering her with praise and feeding her some premium puffs that he reserved for special occasions.

And this, he thought, was definitely one.

 

**

 

 _“What a battle!”_ the announcer exclaimed as the audience erupted in loud cheers, sounding just as ecstatic as Viktor felt, _“My colleague here has apparently fainted along with Milotic, and for good reason! Yuuri Katsuki takes a second win over Sootopolis’ Gym Leader Wallace, and thereby his first ever win in the Pokémon League Tournament. Whatever we were expecting, Katsuki certainly saw to it we got something else entirely; in a very good way!_

_“Standing between Katsuki and the Elite Four-round is still another five gym leaders, and tomorrow, it's time for the Kanto Indigo League representatives. Stay tuned for an updated battling schedule later today."_

Viktor made a mental note to check the schedule for Yuuri's next battle later while he watched said dragon trainer shake hands with Wallace in the backstage press area. Both trainers had a slight layer of sweat beading on their brows, and Yuuri’s slicked back hair was a somewhat messier after the battle than before, strands of black hair stubbornly refusing to stay in place.

On top of it all, his cheeks were sporting a healthy, pink blush from the strain.

“Adorable…” Viktor murmured into Katya’s fur. She had joined him on the couch when Viktor had started jumping about towards the end of the battle so much that Persian had left, annoyed, and Katya had apparently wondered what was going on.

 _“That was intense!”_ the reporter commented excitedly, smiling widely at them, _“You wished for a good battle, Wallace, and it seems you’re not disappointed.”_

 _“Indeed, I am not!”_ Wallace confirmed with a blinding smile, an arm around the adorable boy’s shoulders. _“I wasn’t joking when I said I’ve been waiting for this for three years. When Yuuri first challenged me back in Sootopolis and won, he already surprised me with his skill and determination, and most of all with the tight bond he shared with his Poémon. I was delighted to see his name among the list of challengers for the Tournament.”_

 _“Wonderful!”_ the reporter chirped, turning to the boy by Wallace’s side, _“Yuuri, this was your first time battling in the Pokémon League Tournament; how did it feel?”_

The boy worried his bottom lip, and Viktor found himself squealing into Katya’s fur while she looked at him like he had grown two heads. He couldn’t help it.

Yuuri was being _illegally_ adorable.

Then it got worse.

 _“Uh, I… well, I was quite nervous, so…”_ he replied timidly, and Viktor suddenly felt a strong urge to get to Hoenn by any means necessary to hold his hand for comfort, _“…but I have faith in my team, and Altaria is really good at calming me down, so wasn’t as nerve-wrecking as I thought it would be.”_

“Oh Arceus, he’s too precious…” Viktor whined in agony, burying his face into Katya’s fur again to muffle his words in case Lilia walked in.

_“And how do you feel now that you’ve won your first battle?”_

_“Um, well…”_ Yuuri’s already pink cheeks turned a rosy red as he fidgeted with the hem of his black and blue battling jacket, making Viktor groan and having to momentarily lie down on the couch. Apparently, Yuuri’s signature move was Cute, and apparently, it was super-effective on Viktor. _“…I’m proud of my team, they did so well, and… and I really want to go and have them healed up so I can reward them for their hard work. Also, I’m thankful to Wallace for the battle.”_

 _“Right back at you, Yuuri,”_ Wallace beamed at him, _“I had fun! And you’re right, we should pay the closest Healing Station a visit.”_

 _“Then I’ll leave you to that.”_ The reporter nodded in understanding. _“Thank you for your time, and good luck in the battles to come.”_

Wallace and Yuuri said their thanks and headed off, Wallace’s arm still around the dragon trainer’s shoulders.

Viktor suddenly felt incredulously jealous of his former mentor.

 

Viktor ended up watching the entire Pokémon League Tournament together with Lilia when she noticed there was no way to get him away from the TV screen so long as Yuuri Katsuki was anywhere close to camera. As a result, she relented and sat down with him instead, occasionally commenting on battle strategies and prompting Viktor to take notes. He did so most of the time to appease her, but when it was Yuuri’s turn to challenge yet another League representative, he found he didn’t have time to take notes and only jotted everything down afterwards.

He couldn’t look away.

The young dragon trainer cleared his path through the gym leaders like he had been battling since the day he was born. Viktor held his breath when he went up against Brycen, the leader of Icirrus Gym, when it almost seemed like Yuuri was going to lose when Salamence snapped out of the confusion at the last minute and managed to execute a powerful Fire Fang on the opposing Beartic, sinking its flaming fangs into the icy fur, literally biting his way to victory.

The victories against the gym leaders opened Yuuri’s doors to the Elite Four-round, where he faced the Hoenn representative, the Ghost Master Phoebe, first. The aggressive, but seemingly highly attentive Hydreigon took down both Banette and Dusknoir with a couple of very well timed Dark Pulses, and Altaria used Dragon Pulse in turn to escape a vicious Power Gem from Sableye to then knock it out with a Moonblast so strong it left a small crater on the arena.

As if Viktor’s heart wasn’t already speeding on a racing Rhyhorn, Yuuri then proceeded to cleanly sweep through the rest of the Elite Four-battles as well, taking down Ice Master Lorelei (even if Salamence wobbled when he landed afterwards, completely drained), Bertha the Ground Master, the Dark Master Grimsley, and even Wikstrom the Steel Master, whose Aegislash was on a whole other level of difficulty than most with the Stance Change-ability, even taking a harsh Flame Thrower from Salamence to the shield and pulling through like a champion. In the end, Hydreigon secured the victory for Yuuri’s team with another devastating Dark Pulse.

Yuuri had managed to clear his path to the champion challenges, meaning he had the right to face all five participating champions, regardless of whether he won or lost.

And that was when the losing streak began, and Viktor’s glass heart broke into pieces.

Yuuri fought exceedingly well, but Steven’s Metagross didn’t budge, and neither did Lance’s Dragonite. Cynthia’s Garchomp was on a whole other level of “extremely difficult” than any other opponent had been during the whole tournament, and Diantha’s Gardevoir had psychic- and fairy-moves all too powerful in her moveset for even Yuuri’s Altaria to handle.

However, by the scrape of a hair, the young dragon trainer managed to snatch the victory over the Unova League Champion Alder, his Braviary finally going down with Thunderbolt to the face, literally. Alder had ordered Braviary to use Brave Bird on Dragonite, and Yuuri had countered with Iron Tail and a close-range Thunderbolt, sending the flying-type crashing to the ground. That meant Yuuri ended up winning the Unova League challenge altogether, making the Unovan representatives one less obstacle for him in the Pokémon League Tournaments to come, as he wouldn’t have to face them anymore when he had beaten the champion.

Viktor, along with the entire audience, cheered loudly and applauded enthusiastically as Yuuri accepted the Unova League Badge, looking utterly astonished and stunned as Alder pinned it onto the right side of his battling jacket. He probably had a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that he actually managed to beat one of the champions, and in his first ever League Tournament nevertheless.

When Yakov returned from Hoenn a few days later, Viktor threw himself into battle training with a fierce determination he had never experienced before in his life. He had to become a better battler.

There was no way Yuuri the soon-to-be Dragon Master was ever going to pay attention to some coordinator with mediocre battling skills, after all.

…was there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little longer than usual! I wrote like three versions of this chapter before settling for this one.
> 
> I kind of had to remove the pork cutlets from the pork cutlet bowl (as in: I didn’t want to hurt any Grumpigs), so it’s now a veggie dish featuring Swellow eggs. There are a lot of Swellows all around Hoenn, so I will imagine the Swellows lay a lot of unfertilized eggs, and that those are used like normal chicken eggs in Hoennian cooking.
> 
> Yuuri’s team by chapter 9 (Yuuri is 13 years old)  
> F = female  
> M = male  
> (move) = remains from previous evolution and isn’t listed in the evolved Pokémon’s moveset
> 
> Haxorus M  
> \- pure dragon-type  
> \- Mold Breaker-ability (moves can be used on the target regardless of its ability)  
> \- Naive nature (raised speed, lowered special defense, favors sweet flavor and dislikes bitter)  
> \- Proud of its power (favors attack)  
> \- Highest stat: attack  
> \- Lowest stat: special attack  
> \- Moveset: Aerial Ace, Assurance, Brick Break, Bulldoze, Confide, Counter, Double Team, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Tail, Dual Chop, Earthquake, Endure, Focus Blast, Focus Energy, Guillotine, Harden, Iron Tail, Leer, Night Slash, Poison Jab, Protect, Razor Wind, Return, Reversal, Rock Slide, (Scratch), Shadow Claw, Slash, Swords Dance, X-Scissor
> 
> Salamence M  
> \- dragon- flying-type  
> \- Moxie-ability (boosts attack after knocking out another Pokémon)  
> \- Adamant nature (raised attack, lowered special attack, favors spicy flavor and dislikes dry)  
> \- Likes to thrash about (favors attack)  
> \- Highest stat: attack  
> \- Lowest stat: special defense  
> \- Moveset: Aerial Ace, Bite, Brick Break, Brutal Swing, Crunch, Defense Curl, Double-Edge, Double Team, Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Rush, Dragon Tail, Ember, Endure, Fire Fang, Flamethrower, Fly, Focus Energy, Headbutt, Hydro Pump, Leer, Protect, Return, Roar, Rock Tomb, Shadow Claw, Steel Wing, Thrash, Thunder Fang, Twister, Zen Headbutt
> 
> Altaria F  
> \- dragon- and flying-type  
> \- Natural Cure-ability (all status problems heal upon being recalled into the PokéBall)  
> \- Mild nature (raised special attack, lowered defense, favors dry flavors and dislikes sour)  
> \- Strong willed (favors special defense)  
> \- Highest stat: special defense  
> \- Lowest stat: attack  
> \- Moveset: Aerial Ace, Agility, Astonish, Cotton Guard, Dazzling Gleam, Disarming Voice, Double Team, Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Rush, Dream Eater, Feather Dance, Flamethrower, Growl, Haze, Hyper Voice, Ice Beam, Mist, Moonblast, Natural Gift, Peck, Pluck, Protect, Pursuit, Refresh, Return, Safeguard, Sing, Solar Beam, Steel Wing, Sunny Day, Take Down
> 
> Flygon M  
> \- ground- and dragon-type  
> \- Levitate-ability (immune to ground-type moves)  
> \- Naughty nature (raised attack, lowered special defense, favors spicy flavors and dislikes bitter)  
> \- Alert to sounds (favors speed)  
> \- Highest stat: speed  
> \- Lowest stat: special defense  
> \- Moveset: Bug Bite, Bug Buzz, Bulldoze, Confide, Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Dragon Rush, Dragon Tail, Double Team, Earth Power, Earthquake, Endure, Feint Attack, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Focus Energy, Fury Cutter, Gust, Mud Shot, Mud-Slap, Quick Attack, Rock Slide, Sand Attack, Sand Tomb, Sandstorm, Screech, Signal Beam, Sonic Boom, Sunny Day, Steel Wing, Stone Edge, Supersonic, Toxic
> 
> Dragonite F  
> \- dragon- flying-type  
> \- Inner Focus (prevents flinching)  
> \- Brave nature (raised attack, lowered speed, favors spicy flavor and dislikes sweet)  
> \- Mischievous (favors special attack)  
> \- Highest stat: attack  
> \- Lowest stat: speed  
> \- Moveset: Agility, Aqua Jet, Aqua Tail, Blizzard, Brutal Swing, Double Team, Dragon Breath, Dragon Dance, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Rush, Dragon Tail, Earthquake, Extreme Speed, Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Fly, Focus Blast, Hurricane, Ice Beam, Iron Tail, Leer, Light Screen, Mist, Rain Dance, Safeguard, Sky Drop, Slam, Sunny Day, Surf, Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Thunder Punch, Twister, Water Pulse, Wing Attack, Wrap
> 
> Hydreigon M  
> \- dark- and dragon-type  
> \- Levitate (immune to ground-type moves)  
> \- Rash nature (raised special attack, lowered special defense, favors dry flavor and dislikes bitter)  
> \- Quick tempered (favors attack)  
> \- Highest stat: special attack  
> \- Lowest stat: special defense  
> \- Moveset: Acrobatics, Assurance, Bite, Body Slam, Brutal Swing, Bulldoze, Crunch, Dark Pulse, Dragon Breath, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Rage, Dragon Rush, Dragon Tail, Echoed Voice, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Focus Blast, Focus Energy, Fire Fang, Flash Cannon, Head Smash, Headbutt, Hyper Voice, Ice Fang, Outrage, Payback, Protect, Reflect, Roar, Rock Slide, Screech, Slam, Steel Wing, Thunder Fang, Toxic, Tri Attack, Work Up


	10. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor is aiming for the Top Coordinator-title, determined to prove himself on the battle stage in hopes of gaining Yuuri's attention.
> 
> Yuuri finally recognizes that the Dragon Master-title is within range if he just pushes a little more, determined to prove himself in hopes of gaining Viktor's attention in turn.
> 
> ...if only they knew...

“But Chris, you don’t understand!” Viktor lamented as he slumped down on his bed by the window in their shared hotel room, “The boy is _killing_ me with Cute Charm, and he’s way too young! I’m like a perverted old man!”

“He’s what, fifteen?” Chris grinned, plopping down on the foot of Viktor’s bed to make sure the Master Rank-coordinator would be able to see the smugness on his face, “Only two years younger than me, hmm?” Viktor threw a pillow at him, along with a glare that made the Kalosian laugh.

“Don’t even think about it.” Viktor grumbled, accepting Katya onto his lap and sitting up straight to pet her. Chris cocked an eyebrow.

“Oh?” he inquired, emerald eyes glinting with mischief, “the great coordinator Viktor Nikiforov is _jealous_  over a fifteen-year-old dragon boy he’s never even met? Tell me something I don’t know.”

“You’re the worst friend.” Viktor stated, scratching Katya behind the ear. Chris beamed.

“I’m the _best_ worst friend.” He proudly declared. “But seriously, why not, you know, send him a postcard or something? Approach him at a League Tournament? Well, when you finally work up the courage to even attend one.”

“I can’t! And who even sends postcards?” Viktor gave him a bewildered look, “He’s, like, _amazing_ ; he’s got two League Badges already. I’m not even Top Coordinator yet because I _can’t_ beat a Master Trainer, while he’s floored the entire gym leader- and Elite Four-population on the planet’s surface between ages ten and thirteen, and then proceeds to beat two freaking _champions!_ How am I supposed to approach a legend in the making when I can’t even beat Wallace’s Milotic? Or Fantina’s Mismagius?”

“You could approach him for some battling advice.” Chris suggested with a wink, swinging his legs over the side of the bed to make room for his Meowstic, who lazily puffed up the fur around her neck before demanding attention from her trainer. “He could probably give you private lessons.”

“ _Chris!_ ” Viktor exclaimed, scandalous, “Didn’t you hear me? He’s too young, I can’t just do something like that!” Chris shrugged.

“Well, in a few years’ time he won’t be too young anymore, will he?”

Viktor stilled mid-motion. He hadn’t even thought…

...about that...

…but the Hyper Rank-coordinator was absolutely right.

“I guess he won’t, no.” He agreed, resuming Katya’s behind-the-ear-scratches. Chris looked pleased.

“Let’s just hope the dragon prince of your dreams doesn’t go and find himself a lover during that time then, huh?”

Viktor hit him with another pillow.

 

**

 

“Whoa, easy, big guy!” Yuuri caught Mega Salamence’s attention by patting the side of his lowered neck with both hands, rubbing them in soothing circles over the thick skin, “Master Drayden isn’t a threat, remember? You’ve met him befo-, _Hydreigon!_ ” He clicked his tongue sharply, making the part dark-type stop mid-motion, hovering in the air and attempting to locate his trainer. “He’s a friend, not a threat, okay? Stay with Altaria.”

Hydreigon let out a frustrated “dreigon!” but did as told, lying down on the ground as Altaria landed beside him, humming softly. Mega Salamence soon seemed to recognize the guest and snapped out of his Mega Evolved form that they had been practicing with, curling up beside Haxorus while Flygon settled down on his back. Dragonite joined Altaria beside Haxorus, but didn’t sit down, keeping an eye on her trainer as Yuuri approached the Unovan Dragon Master.

“Sorry about that,” he was quick to apologize, scratching his neck, “they’ve been a bit edgy today.”

“I was going to say you handle them well, actually.” Drayden rumbled, crossing his arms over his chest in the same manner Lance and Clair usually did. Maybe it was a Dragon Master thing. “And I should be the one apologizing; my smell probably reminds Hydreigon of things he’d rather forget.” He looked over at the dragon in question before turning to its trainer, “He grew up fast; our little Deino was a Hydreigon already at your first Tournament.”

Yuuri couldn’t help a small smile.

“He was very quick to evolve, yeah.” He admitted. “Lance theorized it had to do with the fact that he was constantly surrounded by fully evolved Pokémon and wanted to catch up, insecure as he was… well, still is. He evolved into Zweilous at Victory Road in Kalos during a battle with another trainer.”

Drayden eyed him closely, “What happened?”

Yuuri sighed, reminiscing the incident.

“Deino jumped in front of Altaria when it was looking bad for us for a moment.” He explained, recalling how the small Pokémon had rushed out to angrily growl at the opposing Diggersby in an attempt to defend the closest thing to a mother figure he had since his own had been taken away from him. “He evolved on the spot, possibly wanting get bigger to defend her better.” Drayden hummed.

“That doesn’t sound too far-fetched.” He nodded in agreement. “And Zweilous, then?”

This time, an almost sheepish smile spread on Yuuri’s lips.

“It happened so fast that hadn’t Altaria sensed what was going on, Hydreigon might have torn down the whole of Lance’s training court.” He confessed, gesturing around said court to make a point. “We were sparring, Salamence versus Lance’s Dragonite, and it got quite intense. We left quite a crater in the ground that day; you know, they’re big dragons.” He scratched his neck again, thoughtful.

“Our best guess is that Zweilous, who was on the sidelines with the rest of our Pokémon, had had a long-suppressed urge to prove himself to the team and wanted to do just that. He couldn’t see anything, but he could undoubtedly feel the intensity in the air, and of course, he could hear all the noise and feel the tremors in the ground, too. We had to call off the battle abruptly when we noticed Zweilous was already engulfed in light, and the emerging Hydreigon was absolutely rampant. I mean, all of a sudden, he could fly, had three heads instead of two and still couldn’t see a thing, and he’s already aggressive and jumpy as it is. He managed to crash into the fence a few times on purpose and almost tore a hole in it before Altaria managed to catch him into her wings. It took him weeks to learn to handle his new body, but…” Yuuri shrugged, a relieved look spreading on his features, “he’s here now, a couple of years later and handling himself well, at least most of the time.”

“He's highly attentive to you,” Drayden commented with a nod, “I already thought so when I saw you battle with him during your first Tournament; we haven’t really had time to catch up properly due to the tight schedules. I’m glad I finally got around to ask about it.” Yuuri nodded in understanding.

“It’s been quite intense, yeah.” He agreed, then paused. “Did you come for a sparring session?”

“I was actually hoping to battle you tomorrow.” The Dragon Master confessed. “And teach you something.” Yuuri blinked.

“Teach me something?”

“Yes. Or rather, teach you how to teach your Pokémon something. It might take some time, but you’ll definitely find it useful… in the future.”

 

“You’re almost there, Yuuri.” Lance encouraged him after Yuuri’s fourth Pokémon League Tournament when they met up by the entrance to the tournament area, a fourth League Badge now shining on the dragon trainer’s black and red battling jacket. “I’m proud of you.”

Yuuri heaved a sigh, exhausted, but managed a smile nevertheless.

“Thank you.” He replied tiredly as they exited the area altogether to walk back to their hotel. Goldenrod City was bustling with people and Pokémon due to the event, and Yuuri was just about done with all the fuss and buzz, tuning out the noise around him as best he could. Lance noticed and stayed silent during the walk back to the hotel, giving Yuuri space.

It was mind-bogglingly incredible to realize how far Yuuri had come in three years' time, the four badges on his chest a reminder that he was very,  _very_ close to becoming the youngest Dragon Master of all time.

Only the previous year, the boy had managed to beat Diantha with narrow margin, Flygon performing a brilliantly with a devastating Earthquake followed by a double Steel Wing that finally knocked the persistent Gardevoir out. The original plan had been to have Haxorus go up against the psychic- and fairy-type with Poison Jab and Iron Tail, but Haxorus took the full blow from a devastating Moonblast, leaving the task to Flygon instead. Afterwards, the poor dragon hadn’t even had the strength left to fly up to Yuuri’s trainer stand, but he was still conscious whereas Gardevoir was not, leaving him and his trainer victorious.

Even more impressive, however, was the enormous feat Yuuri had managed to pull during the past two days: beat both Steven _and_ Cynthia. Most of the arena had been unrecognizable after the battles, completely destroyed by the enormous power the Pokémon had poured into their battling in an attempt to take each other down.

Steven’s Aggron, the one that had floored Yuuri’s entire team the first time he had challenged the champion, was taken off guard by an Aqua Tail from Dragonite, which Yuuri’s dragon then followed up with a powerful Focus Blast that sent the rock- and steel-type flying into the far wall of the arena, leaving a deep, large indent in it.

However, Lance almost thought it was over for his student yet again when Metagross managed to defeat both Haxorus and Salamence, but Hydreigon still remained. Yuuri and the three-headed dragon then managed to time a Dark Pulse right when Metagross was above the blind dragon in an attempt to use Metal Claw, and the battle took a complete one-eighty turn in Yuuri’s favor. In the end, a well-coordinated Bulldoze followed by another devastating Dark Pulse (which had more or less become Hydreigon’s signature move) was Metagross’ downfall.

Cynthia had been even trickier to beat, and Yuuri’s whole team had been bruised and battered after a second day of long and intense full-team-battling. Without Altaria’s Moonblast, Spiritomb would probably have been the end for most of Yuuri’s team, not to mention the mountain-moving powerhouse that was Cynthia’s ace Pokémon, Garchomp.

The opposing dragon took out both Flygon and Hydreigon in rapid succession before clashing with Salamence with devastating force. Salamence only managed to end the battle in Yuuri’s favor when Garchomp got paralyzed by Dragon Breath, giving Salamence the opportunity to finish it off with a triple-Dragon Dance-amplified Dragon Tail straight to the jaw.

That meant the Hoenn and Sinnoh League Badges had now joined the Unova and Kalos League Badges on Yuuri’s chest, three years and four tournaments since he first entered.

The only thing still standing between Yuuri and the title of Pokémon League Tournament Champion and Dragon Master was Lance himself. The champion had been waiting to be knocked down from his Throne of Invincibility (as the press liked to call it) by the earth-shattering force that was Yuuri Katsuki and his dragons for years, and he had been training his student relentlessly with that milestone in mind.

Lance didn’t like losing, however, and he knew that Yuuri didn’t either. They would both give it their all until the very end, and that made the whole situation all the more exciting.

Reaching the hotel and Yuuri’s room, Lance invited himself in and closed the door behind him before daring to speak:

“I’ve got something for you, Yuuri.”

Yuuri turned and blinked, like he always did when silently asking “what is it?”. Lance offered him a rare smile of reassurance before reaching into the inner pocket of his indigo and bronze battling jacket, pulling out an envelope and offering it to Yuuri. He accepted it with a curious expression, and sat down on the bed to open it under his mentor’s watchful gaze.

“You deserve it.” Lance told him as Yuuri pulled out the contents, eyes growing wide. “You’ve worked harder than any other trainer I’ve ever known, and now that both Salamence and Altaria have had their Mega Stones implanted permanently and the surgeries are all over, along with the Tournament, there’s no reason for you not to take a breather. Please accept it.” Yuuri turned his maroon gaze to his mentor, gaping slightly. Lance couldn’t stop his smile from growing ever so slightly. “A vacation would do all of you some good.”

Yuuri gazed back down at the plane ticket in his hand, a small, tired smile spreading on his lips.

“Thank you.”

 

Two weeks later, Yuuri boarded a plane to Melemele Island, Alola.

During the flight, he decided to watch a rerun of Viktor’s latest contest that he had downloaded onto his tablet, and he couldn’t help but think that the coordinator’s battling style seemed to have improved immensely during the past three or so years. Something about it even looked a little familiar, but Yuuri couldn’t put his finger on exactly why or what it was.

He could, however, cheer internally as the enchanting coordinator secured a fourth Master Ribbon, taking a step closer to advancing to the Sinnoh Grand Festival once again. He hadn’t managed to achieve the title of Top Coordinator yet, Fantina having been his downfall in the contest battle for a solid four Grand Festivals in a row, but it seemed like he had progressed a lot since he first entered the Master Rank four years prior.

As usual, Yuuri would be rooting for him when it was time for the Sinnoh Grand Festival, but that was still a month and a half away.

In Yuuri’s eyes, Viktor Nikiforov was the epitome of beauty and grace, and maybe one day, when he was good enough, he would have the courage to approach Viktor and actually tell him how much he had inspired Yuuri over the years. First, though, he had to prove himself.

He had to become a Dragon Master.

 

**

 

Viktor bowed to the audience with flourish, Ninetales as stunning as ever to his right as she curtseyed elegantly by bending the knees on her front legs, Froslass twirling around gracefully to Viktor’s left in turn, basking in the spotlight.

No one had seen the ice flames coming in Ninetales’ routine, the icy cold fire having lit up the contest hall in a freezing light and left Ninetales standing in the middle of it all, shining bright like the star she was. And Lisia had definitely not seen Froslass’ Draining Kiss coming, followed by the Thunderbolt that brought poor Ali the Altaria crashing to the ground.

Viktor silently congratulated himself and his Pokémon for having been able to surprise the audience, and the fellow coordinators, once again.

“Congratulations on your fifth Master Ribbon of the season, and to your secured place in the Sinnoh Grand Festival, Viktor!” the reporter smiled brightly at him as he entered the press area, “Ninetales routine was awe-inspiring, and that Draining Kiss and Thunderbolt combination definitely did the trick in the battle round. What is your inspiration?”

A sixteen-year-old soon-to-be Dragon Master whom I’ve never met but who’s stolen my breath away and ran off with my heart…

“Oh, Madame Lilia and I wanted to try something new with Ninetales,” he spoke instead, masking his inner thoughts with a dazzling smile in an attempt to make the reporter forget the question, “so we improvised a lot and noticed Ninetales was able to produce ice flames, possibly due to the Alolan Ninetales originating from the Kanto region where Ninetales is a fire-type, so we planned the choreography to showcase the unique phenomenon. As for the battle, I can only say that Mister Feltsman has seen to it we’re not slacking off for even a second.”

The reporter laughed, “It certainly shows.” She commented, and Viktor internally breathed out a sigh of relief. “And does this mean you’re finally going to grab that Top Coordinator-title this year?”

Viktor winked at her and the camera.

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

 

“Looks like your future husband is vacationing in Alola.” Chris informed Viktor, throwing the latest issue of _Battle!_ onto Viktor’s lap.

“I wish.” The silver-headed coordinator sighed dramatically, flipping through the pages until he found one with Yuuri’s picture on it, the dragon trainer sitting on the back of his majestic Salamence as they were seemingly taking off for flight.

“What, you wish he wasn’t vacationing in Alola?”

Viktor rolled his eyes as Chris grinned at him cheekily.

“I hate you.” He declared, starting to read the two-page long article about Yuuri’s progress in the previous Pokémon League Tournament and his supposed three-month vacation in Alola that he didn’t seem to have confirmed himself but that was apparently happening anyway.

“I love you, too.” Chris yawned, stretching. “There’s a new poster in the middle.”

“I’m taking it.”

“And what do I get in return?” Viktor glared at him.

“My undying gratitude.” He replied drily, then more seriously: “I’ll pay for your dinner.”

“I’ll have both, thanks.” Chris smiled brightly and fluttered his eyelashes sweetly before lying down on his bed, Meowstic curled up by his feet. Viktor whined in agony, and Chris counted to three on the dot before the anticipated lamenting-gushing-whining began.

“How do you casually approach a sixteen-year-old and ask them to marry you?” Viktor groaned, looking like he was going to kiss the picture in the magazine at any moment, “Is that even allowed? Probably not, but I want-, I need to marry this boy, Chris, he’s too precious. Look, it says here he still plays fetch with his Haxorus at times, just like he did when it was still an Axew. That’s _adorable!_ And here, about his Pokémon, it says that Altaria has become a mother figure for the whole team, and especially to the, quote, ‘jumpy and insecure Hydreigon’, and that since Flygon is the smallest on the team, he’s become the little brother that everyone looks after but that can very well fend for himself…”

Viktor paused and looked up at his friend with a helpless expression, “…I can’t handle this. If I ever met him, I would die from a heart attack.”

“I hope you mean ‘when’ and not ‘if’.” Was Chris’ easy reply, but Viktor wasn’t exactly paying attention to him at the moment.

“I swear that he has a type advantage over me, Chris.” He whined instead, flipping through the pages again to have a look at the poster in the middle. “At least four times super-effective.”

“Well, if you look at your teams, then technically _you_ have the type advantage…”

“That's not the point! Anyway, is someone even _allowed_ to look that cute in the same picture as a _Hydreigon?_ ”

"Would you prefer to have the wedding in Hoenn or Sinnoh?"

"Okay, okay, let's go have dinner."

 

**

 

“Are you Yuuri Katsuki?”

Yuuri stopped and spun around on his heel, blinking in confusion. A boy around his age, possibly a little younger, skipped up to him with an enormous smile on his tanned features, beaming brighter than the Alolan sun as he halted in front of Yuuri with a Togedemaru perched on his shoulder.

“Y-yes.” The dragon trainer replied, stunned. The boy’s grin turned impossibly brighter, and Yuuri silently wondered if it would be considered extremely rude to switch to sunglasses in the middle of a conversation (if it was a conversation).

“Awesome!” the boy exclaimed, looking absolutely ecstatic, “I watched the Pokémon League Tournament for the first time ever this year, and you were just so _cool!_ I’m Phichit, by the way.” He added almost as an afterthought, realizing he had forgotten to introduce himself. “Anyway, are you here on a vacation? Or are you taking on the Island Challenge? I can show you aroun-, no, I can be your guide! Come on, you’ve got to meet Professor Kukui!”

“I-I, uh, okay?”

Without knowing exactly how it happened, Yuuri had gained a new friend, been introduced to the resident Pokémon Professor (who called him “cousin” in a greeting, making Yuuri very confused and momentarily question his heritage before he realized it was the Alolan counterpart to “buddy”), and decided to take on the Island Challenge, all in the span of one afternoon.

He had also been fed too much Malasada for his stomach to handle.

“You can give the rest to your team.” Phichit grinned, making a point by feeding his Emolga some of his own cold treat. “I swear they’ll love it!”

Yuuri opted to only feed Flygon with Malasada. If Salamence ever got a taste of it, he would have to buy the whole shop, and he wasn’t sure if he could afford that, despite all the prize money he got from battles.

Battles…

Yuuri sighed, leaning back against the tree they were sitting beneath. At first, he had been excited over the visit to Alola, but during the plane ride, he couldn’t shake off the gnawing feeling in his gut that he always got when he felt he should be training and wasn’t. However, now that Phichit had talked him into trying out the Island Challenge, he felt excited again.

Maybe the “vacationing” could give him the extra training he needed if he wanted a real shot at beating Lance.

Maybe…

Realization dawned on the dragon trainer, and he sat up straight again. Maybe, he could practice the one thing he actually wanted to keep a secret from his mentor until the last possible moment.

The one thing that could be his key to victory.

_…you’ll definitely find it useful… in the future._

“Phichit,” Yuuri found himself speaking, surrendering the rest of his Malasada to Flygon, who downed it all with enormous appetite, “is there a big, open, deserted area somewhere around here?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing the best friends! 
> 
> Chris, the Hyper Rank-coordinator from Kalos that Viktor met two years prior for the first time and started to hang out with during the competitions they entered together, and Phichit, the sunny Alolan ball of energy that wants to see the world and build a team consisting entirely of adorable members of the Pikachu-family. Let's leave it at that for now.
> 
> Coming up: the Sinnoh Grand Festival (and the Alola Island Challenge)


	11. Sinnoh Grand Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri is attempting to wrap his head around Z-Power, Phichit has ambitions, and together, they sit down to watch the Sinnoh Grand Festival, where Viktor has decided to use his secret weapon for a real attempt at claiming the title of Top Coordinator once and for all.

Yuuri considered himself very lucky that Phichit already had passed his own Island Challenge with flying colors, meaning he had all the time he wanted to guide Yuuri around, escort him to the Trial Sites, take him sightseeing, and buy them too much Malasada for two people to handle. Luckily, Phichit’s Pokémon were more than happy to help out, as was Yuuri’s Flygon.

Having only barely began mastering Mega Evolution with Salamence and Altaria after months and months of training, Yuuri was suddenly faced with the challenge of wrapping his head around Z-Power in order to complete the Alola Island Challenge. Although really, Phichit pondered, Yuuri’s team would probably have been able to pull through anyway, but it was kind of expected of him to make use of the Z-Crystals he collected during challenge, especially against Totem Pokémon and the kahunas.

However, the Z-Crystals soon gave Yuuri the same problem he had first experienced with Salamence’s Mega Stone: most of his Pokémon absolutely hated wearing accessories. When Yuuri had first gotten his hands on a Salamencite, he had received a crafted anklet for the dragon to wear the stone on, but it took the annoyed Pokémon approximately ten seconds to tear it off and absolutely refuse to wear anything else either.

Yuuri shouldn’t have been surprised, really, as he always had to ride bareback on Salamence anyway.

Korrina had suggested having the Mega Stone implanted right below Salamence’s thick skin instead, as the stone was small and wouldn’t irritate the dragon, thus preventing him from constantly Fire Fanging the jewelry. Altaria had been more forgiving when the necklace was placed on her, but as she Mega Evolved, the additional cloudy cotton around her neck made her frustrated with the accessory, and Yuuri had relented and just let both of his Pokémon get their Mega Stones implanted instead.

And now the Z-Crystals gave him a strong sense of déjà vu.

Salamence still refused any accessories, Altaria was apparently not willing to try again, Flygon sped off in another direction altogether, and Hydreigon absolutely did not want anything of unfamiliar origin placed on his body. In the end, Haxorus and Dragonite were the only ones willing to even try wearing the anklets, but Haxorus cut his off hours later with his razor-sharp tusks, having had enough. That left only Dragonite as a willing wearer of a Z-Anklet, as Phichit called them.

And as Yuuri now wore both the Mega Bracelet and the Z-Ring on his right arm and the Xtransceiver on his left, he really was beginning to sympathize with his teammates.

“But how awesome would a Mega Evolved, Z-Powered Salamence be!” Phichit lamented as the dragon in question glared at his trainer in disapproval, “And I might never get to witness it.” Yuuri sighed.

“Maybe it’s for the best.” He decided, discarding the melted remains of an anklet into the closest trash bin. “He might eliminate an entire island from existence if that were ever to happen.”

“But still!”

 

“How’s the Alola League coming along anyway?” Yuuri asked his self-appointed tour guide and self-appointed best friend (not that Yuuri was complaining in any way) as they stood by the foot of Mount Lanakila, gazing up at it. Phichit hummed.

“Well, it’s been in the making for over a decade now, but there have been quite a few setbacks along the way, sadly enough.” He replied, glancing at the sign blocking the way that would lead to the summit, stating that the Alola Pokémon League was being built and that no unauthorized access was allowed. “But if Kukui finally gets his way, they’ll be opening the doors for challengers within the next two or so years.”

Yuuri nodded. “And how are they going to choose an Elite Four? And a champion?”

Phichit shrugged, “Maybe Kukui will choose among the kahunas and captains… maybe step in himself. Or the kahunas and captains might battle each other to find the strongest ones. I suppose we have to wait and see.” He grinned at Yuuri. “Are you coming back to challenge them then?”

Yuuri let out a laugh.

“We have to wait and see.” He echoed as a vague enough answer.

 

“Oh, you’ll want some of these!” Phichit grinned brightly as he exited a small corner store in Konikoni City, dumping a large paper bag in Yuuri’s arms. “PokéBeans! An Alolan specialty, Pokémon love them. You should try these out to complement your PokéPuffs.”

Yuuri pulled out a smaller paper bag from inside the big one, opening it to peer at the contents: large, ocean blue beans with darker, navy blue dots.

“Thank you.” He told his traveling companion. “We’ll give them a try.”

As it turned out, both Flygon and Hydreigon actually preferred PokéBeans over PokéPuffs.

“I’ve been thinking of challenging a league or two for some time now, you know.” Phichit confessed as they sat down by the shore to have some sandwiches and feed their companions in the process. “Any suggestions?”

Yuuri pondered for a moment.

“Well,” he said slowly, absentmindedly stroking the black fur around Hydreigon’s neck as Altaria hummed her teammate to relaxation so the part dark-type could concentrate on eating without getting startled by every little noise from the unfamiliar surroundings, “you could come with me back to the Indigo Plateau and challenge the gyms in Kanto and Johto, for example. I mean, I’m headed there anyway, so…” he trailed off.

Phichit gaped at him, then beamed brighter than the Alolan sun.

“Then you’re very much stuck with the awesomeness of my presence, Yuuri Katsuki.” He declared, tossing a PokéBean into the air for his Mawile to catch. “Think my babies can make it through?”

“Sure they can.” Yuuri replied, taking a sip from his water bottle. “Which babies are you referring to, though? You have nine Pokémon.”

“Team Steel will be flooring the competition.” Phichit stated confidently, his Togedemaru, Mawile, Lucario, Alolan Sandslash, Scizor and Skarmory all perking up at the mention of their assigned team name. “I mean, Team Thunder is awesome, but they’re not a full team yet. I need more members!”

Yuuri nodded in understanding, chuckling slightly as Togedemaru perked up again at the mention of Team Thunder, along with Emolga, Pikachu and Alolan Raichu.

“What did you have in mind?”

Phichit grinned.

“I’ve always wanted a Dedenne! I mean, have you seen how _adorable_ it is? And a Pachirisu, I think. Then, Team Thunder will have six members, too.” He raised a victorious hand in the air. “Team Steel will take down the Master Trainers, but Team Thunder will take over the world; just wait and see!”

Yuuri couldn’t help but laugh, “Of course they will.”

Phichit winked at him, “Never underestimate the power of Team Thunder - conquering the world with cute!”

 

**

 

Viktor exhaled slowly, closing his eyes briefly to concentrate. He cradled the Dusk Ball in his hands to his chest preciously, waiting for the announcers to call him onto the battle stage, his heart pounding hard but steadily as his adrenaline levels rose.

“We can do this, darling.” He whispered to the ball. “We can win. This time is _our_ time.”

Katya had handled the choreography round at the Sinnoh Grand Festival this time around, as Froslass and Ninetales had been handling three contests respectively during the season already, and Katya’s new routine had served as the surprise Viktor needed to both advance to the battle round and see to it that he went into that battle round with as high a score as his beloved Glaceon could manage to earn for them.

Using Aurora Veil, Rain Dance and Icy Wind to set the mood and then moving on to shatter diamond-shaped ice shards with Echoed Voice was only the beginning, Katya then whipping up a Blizzard to freeze the last of the rain. The bravado had been the Shadow Ball and Frost Breath combination, creating a thin layer of sparkling frost around the midnight-dark sphere and have Katya play around with it before spiking up her frozen fur and shattering it with her tail.

It had all been very well worth every second of practice (the Shadow Ball was exceedingly difficult to trap inside a thin layer of ice) as Viktor actually had managed to beat Fantina in the choreography round for once.

Now, he only had to beat her in battle, too.

And this time, he had another surprise in store.

A secret weapon.

While Froslass and Ninetales had been handling most of the routines for the season, Lapras and Katya had been handling the battles with flourish, Lapras only losing to Wallace back in Slateport. There was no doubt Fantina expected him to use either Froslass or Lapras against her.

Which was exactly what he wasn’t about to do.

Viktor had been extremely tight-lipped about his fifth team member the entire season, avoiding questions about Sneasel’s absence from the stage with vague answers like “oh, you know, a basic Pokémon against all these first and second stage ones is really not a good strategy.” He could only hope people had bought the excuses.

“Ready to go, Vitya?” Lilia asked him, expression tight. Viktor nodded and placed the Dusk Ball in his belt, hidden behind the cape he was sporting for the occasion in a small homage to Wallace.

“Ready.”

 

**

 

“What are we watching?”

“The Sinnoh Grand Festival.”

Yuuri sat on his knees in front of the TV in his and Phichit’s shared room at the Pokémon Center in Seafolk Village, rocking slightly back and forth as he watched Viktor enter the battle stage, dressed in an elegant black and red costume adorned with silvery crystals by his waist and shoulder, the silver hair pulled back into his signature ponytail. He also wore a black cape with red lining, which was unusual for him. Yuuri had a strong suspicion it was meant as a nod to his former mentor.

“I haven’t really watched Pokémon Contests all that much.” Phichit admitted as he plopped down beside Yuuri, Togedemaru and Emolga immediately climbing onto him to have a look at what was going on. “This looks intense, though. A battle coming up?” Yuuri nodded.

“Yeah.”

 

**

 

“This is a one-on-one contest battle between ruling Sinnoh Grand Festival Champion, Top Coordinator and Master Trainer Fantina of Hearthome City, and challenger Viktor Nikiforov, Master Rank-coordinator from Snowpoint City.” The judge stated as Viktor and Fantina had taken the stage, the Top Coordinator sporting her signature purple ballgown and extravagantly done, equally purple hair. “Both coordinators enter the battle with one Pokémon each, and the battle begins on my signal. The ruling champion sends out her Pokémon first.”

“It’s our time to shine, Mismagius!” Fantina smiled brilliantly, tossing the specially designed Luxury Ball with a silken-gloved hand. The sigil broke as the ball sprung open, Mismagius materializing amidst a whirl of holographic cherry blossom.

“Mis-maaagiussss!” she hissed, voice raspy and ghostly, twirling around in the air for show.

Viktor kept a cool façade despite his heart hammering hard against his ribcage in anticipation and excitement. He almost felt a little giddy as he finally pulled out the Dusk Ball.

“The stage is yours, Weavile!”

If the gasps and gaping faces in the audience were anything to go by, his element of surprise had worked once again, and if Viktor squinted, he almost thought Fantina’s eyes had widened ever so slightly as the part dark-type materialized in a flurry of holographic red feathers, bowing elegantly.

“Weeaa-vile!” he hissed, smirking as he straightened up, making sure to show off his red feather crown and puff up the feather collar, the gem on his forehead glinting golden in the lights above the stage.

Just like Vulpix before him, Sneasel had started with the whining and restless behavior around the time of Viktor’s 20th birthday, getting exceedingly annoyed when something didn’t go his way, and starting to eat irregularly. With Lilia’s help, Viktor managed to get his hands on a Razor Claw less than a month later and helped yet another one of his Pokémon evolve, this time outside in the snow in the middle of the night by presenting the item to him.

And oh, boy was the now fully-evolved Pokémon the absolute embodiment of a viciously mischievous troublemaker, meaning he was perfectly suited for battle. Especially against a ghost-type.

Viktor and Weavile assumed their battle stances as Fantina and Mismagius did the same, the two coordinators briefly locking gazes across the stage. Viktor steeled himself, keeping the cool exterior even though his stomach had turned into a knot and his heart was like a Hammer Arm on repeat in his chest, adrenaline spiking before the bell even rang.

Was this how Yuuri felt before a battle?

_Focus, Viktor!_

Inhale, slow exhale…

_Ding!_

“Weavile, use Screech, then Hone Claws!”

“Mismagius, use Nasty Plot!”

Well, there went Viktor’s attempt to lower Mismagius’ special attack, regrettably. But he did at least have both speed and attack on his side this time around.

“Weavile, use Icy Wind!”

The Pokémon gracefully spun on the spot, whipping up a chilly wind that blew across the stage, making Mismagius’ flowy body flap in the breeze, as she attempted to steady herself.

“Melt it with Mystical Fire, Mismagius, and aim for Weavile!”

“Dodge it, Weavile, and use Foresight!”

 

**

 

“Weavile is _much_ faster than Mismagius.” Yuuri noted, leaning forward on his knees as if he could make the camera zoom in at will. “Look at the _speed_ of those Fury Swipes!”

“It’s impressive.” Phichit agreed, furrowing his brows. “And the style is familiar… somehow.”

“Viktor has been mentored by three gym leaders; that’s probably why.” Yuuri replied, but he couldn’t shake off the feeling he had gotten on the plane on his way to Alola, the feeling that there was something else. Something even more familiar that he just couldn’t put his finger on.

Phichit regarded him with an unreadable expression, steel grey eyes glinting in sudden realization.

It just had to be… _could_ it be?

 

**

 

Weavile did a graceful backflip to dodge another Mystical Fire, and Viktor immediately had to order him to use Crush Claw in an attempt to soften the blow from the Power Gem that followed immediately afterwards. His mind was racing as he tried figuring out how to turn the situation around in his favor before Weavile would tire out from all the dodging.

_What would Yuuri do?_

Yuuri would assess every possible action available and settle for the most surprising one. The course of action no one would see coming.

Yes, he would do that.

So that was what Viktor was going to do.

“Weavile, use Ice Shard to elevate yourself!”

Instead of targeting Mismagius, Weavile skillfully placed one ice shard on top of another as he climbed up the frozen, spiraling staircase he created step by step, running at lightning speed to make it in time before the inevitable…

“Mismagius, melt it with Mystical Fire, then use Thunderbolt on the melted ice!”

“Weavile, Aerial Ace!”

Viktor’s ally narrowly escaped the Thunderbolt and targeted Mismagius from above, landing on top of her, clinging onto the hat-like head.

“Night Slash!”

Bless Weavile’s speed.

Mismagius gave up an undignified cry as her opponent slashed her not once, but twice, razor-sharp claws flashing mercilessly.

“Pull Weavile off with Psychic!”

Viktor could only wince when Weavile was hoisted into the air and flung off towards their side of the stage, somehow managing to land on his hind legs and preventing too many extra points from being lost.

“You’re doing great, Weavile!” Viktor encouraged his Pokémon. “We’ve got this!”

“Mismagius, use Dazzling Gleam!”

“Cover your eyes, Weavile!”

The blinding flash of white forced Viktor to cover his eyes momentarily, thinking fast.

Yuuri always used Dazzling Gleam to catch the opponent off guard and prepare his next move while everyone was momentarily blinded.

And when Dazzling Gleam was used _against_ him, he usually managed to turn the situation in his favor anyway.

So if Viktor could do _that_ …

 

**

 

“Did you see that?” Yuuri gaped, eyes wide as he stared at the TV-screen, “Did you see that?”

“I see a very much fainted Mismagius.” Phichit replied, amused. “But yes, I did see the sorrowfully weak Mystical Fire that couldn’t hinder the Icicle Crash from hitting full force, and I did see that rapid Night Slash-finisher. Fantina landed in her own trap.”

“He just snatched the victory right under her nose.” Yuuri breathed, heart pounding hard in his chest, like he had been the one battling instead of watching someone else do it. “The Mystical Fire was _really_ weak, it didn’t really affect the Icicle Crash at all… Weavile must have the Pressure-ability… and that double Night Slash just shattering the ice and knocking Mismagius out… that finisher is going to earn him some _very_ high scores.”

Yuuri completely missed the smug smile playing on Phichit’s lips.

The Alolan had watched all of Yuuri’s battles during the previous Pokémon League Tournament, and then watched reruns of them to get some ideas for his own battling strategies, and he very much recognized the battle style the coordinator had obviously been inspired by.

He recognized it really, really well.

It probably hit too close to home for the dragon trainer to notice. Or then he was blind.

Possibly both.

 

**

 

Viktor stepped up on the podium on slightly shaking legs, Katya in his arms for support and Weavile jumping up to stand beside him, proudly crossing his arms and puffing up his feathers. Silver tears holding all too many positive emotions involuntarily spilled from Viktor’s azure eyes as he smiled and waved, holding back a sob of joy and relief.

Fantina stepped up on the lower platform of the podium to his right with Mismagius hovering beside her, for the first time having to look up at Viktor and not the other way around. She looked almost as emotional as him, something akin to pride glimmering in her gaze as she smiled at him.

Like she had been waiting to be knocked down.

“I did not see that Icicle Crash coming.” She told Viktor, voice a little thicker than usual. “And I didn’t even realize Weavile had the Pressure-ability until it was already too late.” She held out her hand for him to shake. “Merci beaucoup, for a battle to remember”

Viktor accepted the offered hand, unable to keep the wetness from spilling down his cheeks.

“Thank you.”

Even Lilia had a tissue in her hand when the Head Judge pinned the Sinnoh Grand Festival Master Ribbon into Viktor’s Ribbon Case, along with the ruby and golden Top Coordinator Ribbon that was placed in its designated spot above all the other Master Ribbons. Fantina took it upon herself to place the flower crown of red roses on his silver locks, and she also handed him an enormous bouquet of the same flowers, Katya blowing a thin layer of frost over the petals to make them sparkle as if adorned by tiny crystals. It wasn’t as if the bouquet would make it back to Kalos, anyway.

…or Sinnoh?

…or someplace else?

Viktor suddenly felt lost, the world halting around him as his head continued spinning.

Where would he go now?

 

**

 

_“On behalf of the Sinnoh Broadcasting Network I’d like to offer the warmest congratulations to you, Viktor,”_ the reporter spoke almost softly, wiping a tear from her eye as Viktor entered the press area, aquamarine eyes sparkling with a multitude of emotions, _“the title of Top Coordinator has been slipping through your fingers for four consecutive seasons, but now, finally, the ribbon is in place to prove you have achieved an enormous milestone in your career. Are you relieved?”_

“What kind of question is that?” Yuuri muttered under his breath as Phichit let out a laugh. “Of course he’s relieved.”

_“Relieved, yes, of course,”_ Viktor replied with a humble smile that did funny things to Yuuri’s heart, _“it was a huge obstacle for us to tackle, I mean, there are quite a few Master Trainers in the Master Rank, and Fantina is a Gym Leader, while battling has never really been my forte,”_ he gave the reporter an apologetic look, _“I have a lot to thank my mentors, Lilia and Yakov, for.”_

_“You certainly seemed to have stepped up your game in the battling department this time around, and what a delightful surprise to find out that your Sneasel had evolved into Weavile! That finisher was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and elegantly executed ones ever used in a contest battle, was it practiced?”_

“Is the reporter blind?” Yuuri asked bluntly, feeling annoyed by the, in his mind, silly question (and not getting answers to the ones flying around in his head that he would actually _want_ the reporter to ask), “There’s no way that was entirely improvised.”

Phichit nodded in agreement, “It was too well-coordinated for that.”

_“We’ve experimented with quite a few tricks, and the icicles in Icicle Crash taking the form of Weavile’s feathers was of course practiced,”_ Viktor replied easily, Weavile preening at the attention beside him, _“we haven’t actually combined it with Night Slash before in that way, but the claws and the speed are Weavile’s strengths, so it felt like the right thing to do. We’ve practiced it with Fury Swipes and Metal Claw before, though.”_

“So, kind of improvised, but not really?” Phichit suggested. Yuuri merely nodded, not taking his eyes off the screen for even a second.

_“And what are your plans for the future? How do you progress from here?”_

_“Well, I’ve yet to think about that.”_ Viktor admitted, smiling that dazzling smile he always used when he wanted to avoid a question, Yuuri had come to notice. _“But for now, we’ll probably head home to Snowpoint, and of course, I’m entering the contests next season as well.”_

_“And entering the International Grand Festival by the end of the season?”_

Viktor winked, grinning, _“I’ll have to get the necessary ribbons first, but if I do, then I will.”_

_“Oh, of course! Thank you for your time, Viktor, I’ll let you go reunite with your family and friends now. Till next season!”_

_“Till then.”_

Viktor blew a kiss to the camera before sliding away smoothly, no doubt to go and greet his parents, mentors and friends. Yuuri sighed, sliding out his legs from beneath himself to sit cross-legged instead, Emolga jumping from Phichit’s shoulder to sit on Yuuri’s knee, blinking adorably in a request for scratches.

Phichit eyed his friend closely, pondering for a moment. Then, he decided to take a shot, even if it was a long one:

“There was something _very_ familiar about his battle style, though,” he ‘thought’ aloud, attempting to look pointedly at the oblivious dragon trainer beside him, “and I’m sure it wasn’t only gym leaders. There was something else, too.”

Yuuri shrugged, “He might be friends with some challenger who partook in the League Tournament this year. Maybe they spar together.”

Phichit let out a heavy sigh and laid down on the floor in exasperation and momentary defeat, Togedemaru jumping up on his chest to figure out why his trainer was behaving strangely. That only made Phichit sigh again.

Even his Pokémon was more observant.

 

**

 

“Do you have everything?”

Viktor looked down at his checklist, nodding.

“That’s it.” He confirmed, folding the paper and placing it in his bag. Lilia heaved a small sigh, then took a deep breath before nodding in turn.

“Well then,” she replied, a ghost of a smile flickering on her lips, “we’ll drive you to the airport, Yakov is waiting in the car. You’ll tell us where you plan to move after your temporary stay with your parents in Snowpoint, of course?”

“Of course.” Viktor reassured her, pulling on his jacket.

If he squinted, it almost looked like Lilia had just swallowed a small lump in her throat.

“Good.”

 

“Thank you,” Viktor told his mentors, burying his face in Lilia’s shoulder as he embraced her tightly, “for everything.”

“Take care, Vitya,” Yakov grunted as Viktor hugged him in turn, “and you’re welcome to visit anytime.”

“So are you.” He assured them both, pulling out a tissue to wipe the wetness from his eyes and offering another one to Lilia, who was getting uncharacteristically emotional. “I… I can only hope I can help and inspire others like you have helped and inspired me.”

“You will.” Lilia stated, her voice just as sharp as ever, even though there was a slightly softer lining to it than usual. “You already have, probably more than we know of.”

Viktor smiled, adjusting his bag and grabbing his suitcase.

“This isn’t goodbye, really.” He assured himself as much as his (ex-)mentors. “See you soon.”

For now, he would return to Snowpoint.

Where he would go from there remained yet to be seen.

…although, actually…

Viktor found himself gazing at a poster of the dragon trainer of his dreams in the latest issue of _Battle!_ , dressed in his battling outfit with the League Badges on display, standing beside his fluffy Mega Altaria.

Actually, Hoenn was quite a nice region, wasn’t it?

He worried his bottom lip. He had already promised to mentor junior coordinators in Jubilife, and he had to go through with that.

But maybe, just maybe, within the next two or so years…

Viktor’s grip on the magazine tightened, a small smile creeping to his lips and reaching his eyes, making them sparkle.

He didn’t feel lost anymore.

He had a new goal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eros costume cameo - check. The difference between writing out a contest battle and a regular one... *phew* hard!
> 
> Coming up: dragons. A LOT of dragons.
> 
> Ah, but... Team update!
> 
> Viktor’s team by chapter 11 (Viktor is 20)
> 
> F = female  
> M = male  
> (move) = remains from previous evolution and isn’t listed in the evolved Pokémon’s moveset
> 
> Katya - Glaceon F  
> \- pure ice-type  
> \- Ice Body (gradually regains HP during hail)  
> \- Quiet nature (raised sp. attack, lowered speed, favors dry flavor and dislikes sweet)  
> \- Highly curious (favors sp. Attack)  
> \- Highest stat: special attack  
> \- Lowest stat: attack  
> \- Moveset: Attract, Aurora Veil, Barrier, Bite, Blizzard, Captivate, Charm, Detect, Double Team, Echoed Voice, Fake Tears, Frost Breath, Hail, Ice Beam, Ice Fang, Ice Shard, Icy Wind, Mirror Coat, Natural Gift, Quick Attack, Protect, Rain Dance, Round, Sand-Attack, Shadow Ball, Synchronoise, Tail Whip, Work Up
> 
> Ninetales F  
> \- ice- and fairy-type  
> \- Snow Cloak (raises evasion during hail)  
> \- Calm nature (raised sp. defense, lowered attack, favors bitter flavors and dislikes spicy)  
> \- Likes to run (favors speed)  
> \- Highest stat: speed  
> \- Lowest stat: attack  
> \- Moveset: Attract, Agility, (Aurora Beam), Aurora Veil, (Baby-Doll Eyes), Blizzard, Calm Mind, Charm, Confuse Ray, Dark Pulse, Dazzling Gleam, Double Team, Dream Eater, Extrasensory, Freeze-Dry, Frost Breath, Hail, Howl, Hypnosis, Ice Beam, Ice Shard, Moonblast, Nasty Plot, Payback, Round, Safeguard, Tail Slap, (Tail Whip)
> 
> Lapras F  
> \- water- and ice-type  
> \- Water Absorb (restores HP if hit by a water-type move)  
> \- Relaxed nature (raised defense, lowered speed)  
> \- Likes to relax (favors HP)  
> \- Highest stat: HP  
> \- Lowest stat: speed  
> \- Moveset: Ancient Power, Avalanche, Blizzard, Body Slam, Brine, Bulldoze, Confuse Ray, Dragon Dance, Dragon Pulse, Echoed Voice, Foresight, Freeze-Dry, Frost Breath, Hail, Hydro Pump, Horn Drill, Ice Beam, Mist, Protect, Psychic, Rain Dance, Safeguard, Sing, Smart Strike, Surf, Thunderbolt, Water Pulse, Waterfall, Whirlpool
> 
> Froslass F  
> \- ice- and ghost-type  
> \- Cursed Body (may disable a move used on the Pokémon)  
> \- Hasty nature (raised speed, lowered defense, favors sweet flavors and dislikes sour)  
> \- Mischievous (favors special attack)  
> \- Highest stat: speed  
> \- Lowest stat: defense  
> \- Moveset: Astonish, Attract, Aurora Veil, Avalanche, Blizzard, Captivate, Confide, Confuse Ray, Double Team, Draining Kiss, Fake Tears, Frost Breath, Hail, Hex, Ice Shard, Icy Wind, Leer, Light Screen, Ominous Wind, Payback, Powder Snow, Protect, Psychic, Round, Safeguard, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Wake-Up Slap, Will-O-Wisp
> 
> Weavile M  
> \- dark- and ice-type  
> \- Pressure (games: raises the opponent’s PP usage, story: moves used several times by the opponent gradually weaken/lose power)  
> \- Naughty nature (raised attack, lowered special defense, favors spicy flavors and dislikes bitter)  
> \- Impetuous and silly (favors speed)  
> \- Highest stat: speed  
> \- Lowest stat: special attack  
> \- Moveset: Aerial Ace, Assurance, Bite, Brick Break, Confide, Counter, Crush Claw, Double Team, Foresight, Fury Swipes, Hail, Hone Claws, Ice Punch, Ice Shard, Icicle Crash, Icy Wind, Leer, Metal Claw, Nasty Plot, Night Slash, Quick Attack, Payback, Poison Jab, Protect, Punishment, Scratch, Screech, Shadow Claw, Throat Chop, Torment, X-Scissor


	12. No holding back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Champion vs. challenger.  
> Student vs. mentor.
> 
> Or: Yuuri vs. Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many drafts were discarded in the making of this chapter.
> 
> Also overuse of italics.

“I miss Malasadas.”

“We’ve been in the air for an hour.”

“Still!” Phichit stated, cradling Togedemaru to his chest, “At least we stacked up on PokéBeans for our babies. Is the ice-cream in Kanto any good, then?”

“Decent.” Yuuri promised. “You could also try steamed dumplings.”

“Sure, I could, but it’s not Malasadas. So,” he bumped shoulders with the dragon trainer, “where do I go first?”

“Well…” Yuuri pulled out his tablet and unlocked it, opening the PokéMap, “…we’ll be landing at Celadon Airport, and then I’m headed to the Indigo Plateau over here. I’d suggest you start out in Pewter City up there.”

“Was that the rock-type gym? Yeah, I’ll go there.” Phichit looked up from the map and grinned at him. “How are you going to practice that awesome move with your mentor nearby, by the way? There’s still more than half a year to go before the next Tournament.”

“Easy,” Yuuri grinned back, putting the tablet away and pulling out the latest issue of _Spotlight_  to read Viktor’s post-season interview, “I’ll just ‘visit my family’.”

“Oh, how sneaky.” Phichit winked at him, giving Togedemaru belly rubs to the Pokémon’s enormous satisfaction. “And where are you really planning to go?”

“There are many smaller, remote, deserted islands around Hoenn. I’ll find a place.”

 

“They’re allowing Mega Evolution in the Tournament next year?” Yuuri more stated than asked, surprised, “Why the change?”

“It’s become so common for Master Trainers to spar using Mega Evolution that there just isn’t enough reason not to allow it any longer.” Lance explained, scanning through the new rulebook with Staraptor-sharp eyes. “Luckily, you have already beaten Diantha, because a Mega Evolved Gardevoir could probably knock out both our teams simultaneously with a Moonblast or two.”

“Honestly, I’m almost more relieved that I don’t have to face Mega Metagross.” Yuuri admitted. “It’s already impossibly strong as it is, and Steven is a geologist on top of it all.”

“You’re right.” Lance agreed with a nod. “He probably has excellent knowledge on how the Mega Stones work and can use them to their full potential. I assume you’re quite relieved about not having to go up against Cynthia’s Mega Garchomp, either.”

“Oh, Arceus, yes.” The dragon trainer breathed out in relief, thinking about the horrors that could potentially follow such a scenario. Lance narrowed his eyes at him.

“I should be afraid, shouldn’t I?”

Yuuri gave him a bewildered look.

“You should be afraid? Like you aren’t going to use one of your Mega Evolutions against me yourself.”

Lance supposed his student had a point.

“Z-Power is still not allowed, though.” He pointed out, tapping the updated rulebook with his index finger. “And probably won’t be for quite a while, considering it’s rare for someone not from Alola to know how and actually have the means to use it. So long as Alola doesn’t have a League and therefore isn’t part of the Tournament, it’s probably not going to be allowed in any League battles anytime soon, either. You’ll have to remove Dragonite’s Z-Anklet before registering, and your Z-Ring.”

Yuuri nodded, closing the book and leaning back in his chair, “I know.”

 

 **Mari:** We’re all in front of the TV. Break a leg, kid! Goomy’s rooting for you.

 **Minako:** Just got into my seat, we have the biggest banner in the audience with Phichit! You can do it!

 **Phichit:** We have The Best Seats with Minako. Team Yuuri for the win! *too many emojis for Yuuri’s Xtransceiver to handle*

 **Iris:** Next time you participate, I expect you to be standing on the other side of the arena. Haxorus is cheering for you over here!

 

Deep inhale, slow exhale…

Yuuri looked up at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Black locks slicked back, glasses left in the locker room and replaced with contacts. Minimum amount of distractions to his sight.

Black and indigo battling outfit, four League Badges on the right-hand side of his chest, the left side still empty.

There was still room for a fifth League Badge on the right-hand side.

There was still an empty spot for a Master Trainer-pin on the left-hand side.

Xtransceiver and Z-Ring removed and left in the locker room, too. Only the Mega Bracelet remained on the right wrist.

Yuuri clenched his fists and straightened up, dark, maroon eyes looking back at him with an expression that turned more and more determined by the second.

He wouldn’t let his Pokémon down.

We can do this.

 

**

 

_“The final battle of the 75th annual Pokémon League Tournament in Lumiose City, Kalos, is also the most anticipated one of the entire event, and for good reason: representing the Indigo League is Dragon Master and League Champion, Lance, and challenging him for the fifth consecutive time is his student, Yuuri Katsuki from Hasetsu, Hoenn!”_

Viktor willed his breathing to keep steady and his heart to stop hammering against his ribcage as Lance and Yuuri entered the arena simultaneously from opposite sides, Yuuri with a posture that screamed of steeled determination and Lance with a rock-hard, stoic expression that gave none of his thoughts away.

They stepped up on the platforms and rose towards the trainer stands in sync while the camera zoomed out to showcase the diverse battle arena: a grassy plain in the middle, rocks and more craggy ground on one side, and a pool of water on the other.

 _“The stakes are high today for dragon trainer Katsuki,”_ the announcer continued as the two trainers stepped off the platforms and onto their respective stands, _“If he manages to beat Champion Lance today, he’s going to become not only Pokémon League Tournament Champion, but also the youngest ever to claim the title of Dragon Master at only seventeen years of age.”_

“If anyone can do that, it’s that boy, I’m telling you.” Alexander commented, indicating Yuuri. Viktor’s father had returned home from Lumiose directly after his own battles, opting not to stay for the rest of the event and only watch Yuuri’s battles together with his wife and son instead. He also wanted to back into training as quickly as possible for when the waves of challengers would hit like they always did directly after a Tournament, hoping for the Gym Leaders to be less sharp from the strain.

In reality, that logic didn’t work at all, but people never stopped trying anyway, it seemed.

_“…now it’s the champions turn to give his challenger a heads-up before the battle. What does Lance wish to tell his student?”_

The Nikiforov-family living room fell silent along with the audience around the battle arena. Lance had his arms crossed over his chest, his cape flowing slightly in the wind. He regarded Yuuri with a stoic expression, but there was a fire burning in his eyes that didn’t go unnoticed. Finally, he spoke:

 _“Six years ago, an eleven-year-old boy came to the Indigo Plateau to challenge the Elite Four. He had twenty-four Gym Badges and five dragons, out of which only two were fully evolved. When he lost, he tried again, and he kept trying until he finally beat them all; the whole Indigo League Elite Four brought to their knees by an amazing young trainer. I was impressed, and offered to mentor him._ ” Lance paused to draw a deep breath.

Ekaterina handed Viktor his Lillipup-tissue box wordlessly.

 _“We’ll be going all out today, Yuuri.”_ The champion stated clearly, nodding. _“No holding back.”_

Yuuri’s expression held only determination as his fists clenched, maroon gaze not budging for even a second.

 _“No holding back.”_ He repeated in confirmation.

_“This is a one-on-one-battle between Indigo League Champion Lance and challenger Yuuri Katsuki. The trainers enter the battle with a full team of six Pokémon each, and both trainers have the right to use one Mega Evolved Pokémon during the battle. The champion sends out his Pokémon first, and the battle begins on my signal.”_

Viktor bit his bottom lip, clutching the couch pillow to his chest in anticipation.

“Come on,” he murmured into the fabric, not caring that his parents were sitting right beside him, “you can do it.”

 

**

 

“Let’s get started, Flygon.” Lance stated, sending out his first Pokémon. Lance’s Flygon was a little bigger than Yuuri’s, and seeing the part ground-type hover right above the grass, Yuuri almost reached for his own Flygon, but hesitated.

_Stick to plan._

There was no reason to change the strategy last-minute.

He grabbed the PokéBall beside Flygon’s.

“We can do this, Dragonite!”

Dragonite did an elegant loop in the air before taking her place opposite Flygon, leaning a little forward, ready for battle. Flygon flicked his tail in turn, showing he was pumped and eager to get going.

Yuuri assumed his battle stance simultaneously with his mentor. They had sparred so many times that it all went on autopilot, completely synchronized, yet this time, it was different. The air around them was charged with electricity, an intense silence falling over the entire arena, waiting for the bell.

Yuuri clenched his fists, nails digging into his palm as he took a deep breath.

_No holding back._

…

_Ding!_

“Dragonite, use Mist!”

“Flygon, Screech, and whip up a Sandstorm.”

“Dragon Dance, and use Twister!”

In a matter of seconds, the arena was already filled with a light fog, whirling sand and a raging tornado that chased Flygon around the field while Dragonite struggled to see properly through it all. Flygon had better sight, especially in a sandstorm, and moved about completely unharmed whilst Dragonite was peppered mercilessly with something that must have felt like small, sharp needles.

“Dragonite, use Twister and aim for the rocks!”

“Use Bulldoze, Flygon, and avoid the Twister!”

Flygon sped down towards the ground and buried himself right beneath the surface, the ground rising above him as he avoided the second tornado, too. Yuuri had to think fast, because Dragonite was at an enormous disadvantage in the sandstorm, and he had to get them back on track somehow.

“Use another Dragon Dance, Dragonite, then use-”

“Dragon Rush!”

Yuuri’s blood ran cold.

“Extreme Speed!” he shouted, Dragonite speeding off to the side when Flygon shot up from the ground like a projectile, aiming for Dragonite and barely missing. “Use Dragon Tail!”

“Counter it with another Dragon Tail!”

Flygon’s tail collided with Dragonite’s belly and Dragonite’s tail collided with Flygon’s in turn, throwing both Pokémon momentarily off balance and away from each other.

“Flygon, Dragon Claw!”

“Dodge!”

But the half-blind Dragonite didn’t manage to dodge in time and took the Dragon Claw painfully to the softer skin by its throat, giving up a pained roar that broke Yuuri’s heart. He had no choice.

“Dragonite, use Hurricane!”

Flygon got swept away by the increased wind speed that whirled the sandstorm up and away from the arena, finally. It also dispersed the mist Yuuri had managed to place there in the beginning, but if it meant giving Dragonite better sight, and thereby accuracy, Hurricane really was the only move that helped. As a bonus, the storm made Flygon momentarily disoriented.

“Dragon Rush, and Dragon Tail!” Yuuri ordered, and Dragonite sped off towards the part ground-type.

But Lance, of course, was not about to go down without a fight.

“Dodge, Flygon, then use Dragon Rush and Dragon Tail in turn!”

The sight was _not_ pretty.

Yuuri shouted at Dragonite to dodge, but Flygon was faster and hit Dragonite from behind with the Dragon Rush, followed by a Dragon Tail to the head. Dragonite hit the ground hard, knocked-out and unable to battle.

Dread settled heavily in Yuuri’s gut as he recalled his fainted ally.

Lance still had a full team, even if Flygon was a bit battered from the clash with Dragonite. Yuuri only had five Pokémon left. Thoughts whirled around in his head, as if Dragonite had injected the Hurricane into his brain and not onto the field, trying to make a quick decision.

He had placed Haxorus’ ball as number two in his belt…

…but he reached for the third ball instead. He needed to even the odds to get back on track.

Yuuri’s Flygon was a little smaller than Lance’s, but this way, if they decided to whip up another Sandstorm, it wouldn’t hinder either of them.

After a Focus Energy for Yuuri’s Flygon in hopes to land a critical hit on the opponent, Lance’s Flygon already charged in for another Dragon Tail, but Yuuri’s teammate veered to the side, being faster than the other. He then used Quick Attack to steer them in the direction of the craggy rocks, following up with Dragon Claw to force Lance’s Flygon to dodge backwards.

“Dragon Breath!” Lance ordered, but this time, Yuuri had speed on his side.

“Dragon Rush!”

His Flygon dodged the Dragon Breath and crashed into Lance’s Pokémon hard, sending them both in a straight line towards the ground. Yuuri waited till the last second…

“Dragon Tail!”

Lance might have thought Yuuri was sending Flygon on a suicide mission, but that wasn’t his intention at all. Catching both trainer and Pokémon off guard, Flygon halted the Dragon Rush mid-motion and hit his opponent hard with his tail instead, sending him to the ground with devastating force.

“Lance’s Flygon is unable to battle.”

“Good job, Flygon!” Yuuri praised as his own dragon returned to hover in front of the trainer stand, obviously pleased with himself. Lance recalled his own Pokémon without his stoic expression wavering even once, pulling out his second PokéBall to send out his smaller Dragonite.

Yuuri sighed inwardly.

Dragonite versus Flygon, now Flygon versus Dragonite.

This was going to be a long battle.

 

**

 

“I can’t watch!” Viktor squeaked as Yuuri’s Flygon narrowly dodged a strong Ice Beam from the opposing Dragonite, countering it with a Flamethrower.

“Lance took down Yuuri’s Dragonite in record time in the first round.” Alexander pondered, tapping his chin. “They’re really not holding back at al-”

“ _Arceus!_ ” Ekaterina shrieked as Flygon got pushed straight into a Blizzard, knocking the Pokémon out long before he hit the ground. “Lance is _not_ kidding today.”

“He wants his student to really earn that Dragon Master-pin.” Alexander agreed, petting Swinub absentmindedly like he always did when he was terribly distracted but absolutely needed something to do with his hands. The family fluffball wasn’t complaining.

“Oh, but Yuuri’s sending out Haxorus now!” Viktor noted in excitement, rocking back and forth from his position on the floor. “He can take down that Dragonite for sure!”

 

**

 

“Haxorus, use Aerial Ace!”

Haxorus jumped from the trainer stand straight into an Aerial Ace, aiming for Dragonite on the other side of the field.

“Dragonite, use Slam!”

The Aerial Ace collided with Dragonite’s fist, but Haxorus grabbed onto the opponent and pulled her down towards the ground with him.

“Haxorus, Counter!” having been subjected to Slam, Haxorus returned the favor with double the power the moment they hit the ground, sending Dragonite stumbling backwards. “Dual Chop!”

“Counter with Dragon Claw!”

The commands resulted in an intense fist fight with Dragonite walking backwards while Haxorus soldiered on after her, trying to aim for the soft spot by Dragonite’s throat. Yuuri followed the whole thing closely, waiting, and Lance was doing the exact same thing…

…just a beat…

“Poison Jab!” Yuuri suddenly ordered.

“Dragonite, Fly!”

Haxorus was quicker. The Poison Jab hit Dragonite in the belly right before it sped upwards, and it had most likely hit the mark and poisoned the opposing Pokémon.

But now, Dragonite was out of reach, and Yuuri had to make sure Haxorus would be able to take a hit from whatever came from above.

“Haxorus, curl up and use Endure.” He ordered, looking up towards the cloudy sky where Dragonite had disappeared.

“Ice Beam!”

Nope.

Haxorus would be able to take the blow, but he would be an inch from fainting.

“Dragon Rush!” Haxorus sped off at the last second, the Ice Beam freezing the ground on the spot he had just rolled away from. “Use Dragon Pulse and Aerial Ace to pull Dragonite down!”

A Dragon Claw to the jaw finally did the trick. The weakened and poisoned Dragonite fainted and Lance wasted no time recalling her to immediately send out his third Pokémon, determined not to give Haxorus (or Yuuri) a moment to rest.

Kingdra amped up the level of difficulty by merely existing.

Poor Haxorus went down after a short but intense battle that ended with a Scald followed by Aurora Beam, the freezing ice-attack amplified by the already burnt area where Scald had hit. Haxorus collapsed in pain and, mercifully enough, fainted seconds later.

Yuuri reached for his fourth ball, his mind racing a million miles a minute, never mind his heart.

If he really wanted to surprise Lance, he would possibly have to rethink his whole strategy on spot…

_What do I do?_

 

**

 

“Go, Hydreigon!” Viktor shouted while his mother peered at the TV-screen between her fingers, the battle escalating in power, difficulty and intensity by the second.

Hydreigon, blind as he was, relied entirely on his other senses to dodge Kingdra’s long-ranged attacks in his attempt to reach the pool where she had settled down to her advantage. Yuuri’s dragon pulled her out of the water with a Charge Beam, forcing Kingdra to jump up in the air as the electric-attack spread through the pool, and he countered the Aurora Beam that followed with a Flamethrower.

“Oh, Dialga…!” Alexander gaped as Hydreigon shattered an Ice Beam solely with his strong Dragon Pulse, flying right through the mess to Kingdra and latching onto her neck with Bite before using Dragon Pulse again.

Close range.

Kingdra didn’t stand a chance.

“That dragon has a terrifyingly high special attack stat.” Ekaterina commented, hugging Sylveon to her chest. “Two Dragon Pulses took out Kingdra and tore half the grass from the ground. And made a crater _beneath the pool_ , look how low the water has sunk!”

She was right. The pool looked like it was slowly emptying as the water-level decreased.

Viktor sat up straight, gaping.

“Lance has a _Garchomp?_ ”

 

**

 

No.

No, no, no, no, no!

 _Not_ Garchomp.

Yuuri bit his bottom lip hard, rapidly going through his options. He had to keep Hydreigon out of reach from Garchomp, but the opponent had already injured Hydreigon’s right-hand head with Stone Edge, and just as another Dragon Pulse gave Yuuri’s Pokémon some time to adjust, Garchomp used Roar, the noise echoing in every corner of the arena and disorienting Hydreigon again.

“Hydreigon!” Yuuri shouted, clicking his tongue to make it possible for the dragon to locate him and make sense of his surroundings, “Use Dragon P-”

“Dragon Claw!”

No, no, Arceus, _no…!_

Yuuri changed his mind. He had to.

“Outrage!”

It was a suicidal decision, but if his next Pokémon was going to be able to take Garchomp out, he needed to weaken it as much as possible.

Hydreigon attacked Garchomp mercilessly in literal blind rage, three heads biting and hammering furiously at the opponent, giving Garchomp no other choice but to defend himself, unable to attack in turn. And just when the opposing Pokémon looked like it was getting tired, Hydreigon stopped and whirled around, looking lost. The confusion had kicked in.

That was the _major_ disadvantage with Outrage.

“I love you, Hydreigon!”

Yuuri knew he could prevent Hydreigon from hurting himself in confusion using the code phrase, but he couldn’t prevent the status ailment altogether, and he couldn’t prevent Garchomp from using the vicious Dragon Claw three times, one for each head.

His heart was aching for his beloved Pokémon as he recalled Hydreigon, hand hovering above the last two PokéBalls in his belt.

Which course of action was Lance expecting him to take?

Which course of action would Lance be taking himself?

The champion hadn’t used his Mega Evolution-round with Garchomp, at least not yet, and he still had one more mystery Pokémon and his signature Dragonite left.

The Dragonite with that infruiatingly frustrating Multiscale-ability, meaning that as long as it was in full health, it took less damage.

Yuuri fingered on the second to last ball in his belt, thoughts spinning around at high speed.

He closed his fingers around the last ball instead.

It was risky to change the strategy last second, but hopefully, that would serve as the surprise Yuuri needed.

 

**

 

“He’s sending out Altaria _now?_ ” Phichit gaped as the cotton cloud Pokémon materialized in front of her trainer, hovering in the air, “I thought he was going to save her for last, with that part fairy-type she gains from Mega Evolution.”

“He changed his strategy.” Minako agreed, furrowing her brows. “Is he hoping to take out Garchomp with a sudden death-move and force Lance to rethink his own strategy?”

“Whatever he’s thinking, Altaria better dodge now if she wants to avoid that Blizz-, _Fire Blast!_ ”

“Holy Ho-Oh!” Minako jumped in her spot as Altaria plunged down into the remaining water in the pool to save herself from the ice and fire-combination Garchomp had attempted to use on her. “Lance is the one going for the sudden death-moves now. She’s up in the air again now though… damn, Dazzling Gleam! I can’t see a thing!”

“Here comes the Moonblas-, no, what?” Phichit shook his head in bewilderment, “Sky Attack? Why?”

“Because Lance was expecting Moonblast, just like you.” Minako replied, eyes following Altaria as she used Cotton Guard, then dodged a Dragon Claw at the last second.

A high-pitch screech rang out through the arena, and the entire audience covered their ears, wincing.

Apparently, Yuuri had ordered Altaria to use Hyper Voice, an attack which was harmless for humans, albeit uncomfortable and made some people nauseous, but devastating for most Pokémon and their hearing range. Garchomp buried his head in the ground to muffle the Hyper Voice, but he was definitely suffering from the effects.

Seconds later, there was a loud, familiar rumble coming from above and the screeching ceased, Altaria flapping her wings hard once.

The Moonblast hit Garchomp dead-on, leaving a crater in the ground and knocking the opposing Pokémon out.

“Garchomp is unable to battle.”

“Yes!” Phichit cheered, hoisting Togedemaru up in the air, attempting to spur Yuuri on with the rest of the audience, “Go, Altaria!”

 

**

 

 _“And Lance is now sending out D-,_ he’s sending out Dragonite now?!” the announcer exclaimed into the microphone, making Ekaterina jump involuntarily while Viktor and his father sported matching “what!?”-expression, _“Lance sends out his signature Pokémon second to last against Yuuri Katsuki’s Altaria, the Pokémon everyone also presumed the challenger was going to save for last. I don’t know if the audience at home can tell, but the air is so thick with intensity here you could slash it with a Razor Claw.”_

“Oh, you can feel it, all right.” Alexander replied to the announcer, despite the fact he couldn’t hear him.

Viktor rocked back and forth on the floor, biting his bottom lip and digging his nails into the pillow he had stolen from the couch.

Altaria versus Dragonite was like being transported to another dimension of intensity.

The trainers dealt out orders at extreme speed, Altaria dodging Dragonite’s every attempt to land a physical attack on her and countering with special attacks instead, forcing the opponent to constantly dodge Dragon Pulses, Ice Beams, Solar Beams and Fire Blasts.

Even more insanely enough, they kept the battle up for over half an hour, and that was when Viktor lost track of time and only stared. Altaria and Dragonite were both getting tired, but they still soldiered on, and when Altaria finally timed a Dragon Pulse perfectly, Yuuri apparently saw his chance of getting Dragonite’s health down with the Multiscale-ability no longer applying.

Half of the time, Viktor had no idea what was going on altogether, as everything was happening at lightning speed.

“Amazing stamina.” Ekaterina commented when neither Yuuri nor Lance’s commands seemed to be ceasing anytime soon. “They stay so incredibly _focused_.”

“They’re going to sleep for a week after this.” Alexander agreed.

_“Dragonite, use Hyper Beam!”_

_“Dodge, Altaria, quick! Steel Wing!”_

Viktor’s breath hitched as Dragonite charged up the Hyper Beam, targeting Altaria with deadly accuracy. Altaria barely dodged in time, her temporarily steeled wings taking some damage, making her wobble a little in the air from the powerful attack, but she still managed to keep going.

Having used Hyper Beam, however, meant that Dragonite had to take a breather.

_“Stay out of sight while you recover, Dragonite!”_

_“Altaria, use Pursuit, then finish with Moonblast!”_

Viktor gasped.

“He’s going to…!”

 

**

 

“Dragonite is unable to battle.”

There was a simultaneous gasp from the audience as Altaria descended from the sky and landed on the ground in front of Yuuri’s trainer stand, Lance’s signature Pokémon fainted on the ground. Yuuri closed his eyes briefly, a small sigh of relief escaping his lips.

Altaria was positively drained, but she had just taken out two of Lance’s Pokémon in succession; two of his strongest team members nevertheless. Sending her out second to last had definitely been the right call on Yuuri’s part, even if he had had to reformulate his strategy quite a bit.

Lance recalled his knocked-out signature Pokémon, grabbing the last PokéBall in his belt.

He locked gazes with Yuuri, as if silently asking: _are we doing this?_

Yuuri steeled himself, willing his gaze not to waver for even a second.

Mega Evolving Altaria now would be ill advice. She had been battling for over an hour, and she wouldn’t last very long, especially since Lance would be sending out a Pokémon in full health and full strength.

Yuuri pondered his options, bouncing them around in his head, concentrating hard.

It would be a very risky course of action, but Altaria’s neck was already drooping slightly and she had exhaustion written all over her body, having landed on the ground instead of staying up in the air. If he recalled her from the battle, he wouldn’t be allowed to send her out again, meaning he essentially would opt to withdraw a Pokémon that was still standing, albeit shakily…

…but surprises were Yuuri’s forte.

_What to do?_

He waited for Lance to send out his last Pokémon, having no idea which of his team members he had chosen, but obviously one that could Mega Evolve, if the fire in his eyes was anything to go by. His Mega Stone was elegantly fit in the golden button to the left on his cape, glinting menacingly from across the field.

Right above his Dragon Master-pin.

Yuuri held his breath.

“Let’s give it our all and more, Charizard!”

The fire- and flying-type materialized with a loud roar, the Charizardite X on the anklet around his left leg immediately resonating with Lance’s Mega Stone.

The champion wasn’t wasting time.

If they were to go all out, they really _were_ going all out.

Yuuri decided.

“Come and rest, Altaria, you did great!” he called out to her, the entire stadium gasping with one mouth as he withdrew his second to last Pokémon willingly, leaving only one member of his team left to send into battle. “Let’s go, Salamence, we’re close now!”

Salamence had barely materialized before Yuuri felt the Mega Bracelet around his wrist vibrate and grow warm, pulsating slightly in sync with his heartbeat. Salamence engulfed in light seconds later, warmth spreading through Yuuri’s whole body as he strengthened the bond with his Pokémon to the max.

Mega Salamence emerged with a deep roar originating from somewhere close to the core of the planet, his crescent moon-wings keeping him steady in the air with him barely moving them. Mega Charizard narrowed his fiery gaze at his opponent, flames turned blue with increased heat emitting from his mouth.

Yuuri locked gazes with Lance.

_We are doing this._

 

**

 

The whole stadium was holding its breath.

Even the announcers had fallen silent.

Viktor was sure he could taste iron on his tongue from biting his bottom lip so hard, but he didn’t pay it any mind.

The Mega Evolved dragons kept perfectly still, hovering in the air in front of their trainers, glaring at each other with fierce determination. Their trainers stood equally still, Lance with his straight and his arms crossed over his chest, and Yuuri still in his battle stance, legs slightly apart, knees a little bent, back straight albeit leaning a little forward, fists clenched tight.

Viktor couldn’t breathe.

His heart was pounding harder in his chest than it had back when he went up against Fantina at the Sinnoh Grand Festival.

It was like the calm before the storm…

…except it wasn’t calm at all.

 

**

 

“Charizard, use Sunny Day.”

“Salamence, Focus Energy.”

Both dragons stayed in place as they executed the orders, the stadium now bathing in a warm, golden light, Salamence steeling himself while assessing the opponent closely. Charizard let out a low growl.

And then Lance hit the accelerator.

“Heatwave!”

“Dodge, Salamence, Dragon Rush!”

“Counter with Inferno!”

“Protect, aim a Thunder Fang at Charizard’s neck!”

“Dodge, Charizard, Fire Fang!”

“Defense Curl, Salamence, Dragon Claw!”

Yuuri had absolutely no time to think about anything else as the two dragons clashed. Charizard, being smaller, tried using the size difference to his advantage and dodge the Dragon Claw, but Salamence’s attack still hit before he could execute the Fire Fang, forcing Charizard back with an angered growl.

The arena was slowly heating up due to the powerful fire attacks from Charizard, and if Yuuri had had the time to look around, he would have noticed that people with water-types called their Pokémon out of their PokéBalls to cool the sweating audience down. As it was, he didn’t notice that at all, because he was dealing out orders and trying to keep track of Salamence, Lance and, more importantly, Charizard.

“Charizard, another Fire Fang!”

“Counter with Zen Headbutt!”

“Use Overheat!”

“Fly, Salamence, then use Twister!”

He had no idea how much time passed. What felt like two seconds was probably twenty minutes, and Yuuri almost wished he could perform Calm Mind on himself to be able to think clearly, but he still focused as hard as he possibly could.

_We can do this…!_

 

**

 

“Oh, Tapu, it’s _hot_ up here!” Phichit panted, gratefully accepting a low-powered Water Gun from a nearby Marill, Togedemaru escaping into his PokéBall to avoid the heat, “That Charizard has higher body temperature than a Magcargo right now!”

“Look at Yuuri and Lance,” Minako pointed, soaking wet from head to toe, “they’re leaning forward. Both of them. Let’s hope Yuuri manages to surprise this time around.”

“Well…” Phichit clenched his fist in anticipation, rooting for his best friend, “…let’s hope he’ll get a chance to use the new move.” Minako whipped around.

“What new move?”

 

**

 

Viktor was sure he was going to bite through his bottom lip and tear the pillow in his hands to pieces from how nervous he was on Yuuri’s behalf. The dragon trainer was still dealing out orders like no tomorrow, neither the trainers nor the dragons showing any signs of giving up anytime soon.

_“Charizard, Air Cutter!”_

_“Salamence, Brutal Swing!”_

The dragons collided with the force of a Dragon Pulse, actually sending shockwaves across the battle arena as they clashed, Charizard being flung back upwards into the air from the impact while Salamence went in the opposite direction due to the downwards-aimed Air Cutter.

But then, Lance seemed to want to cut the chase.

“This is it, Charizard,” he shouted up towards his dragon, arms no longer crossed but bent by his sides, fists clenched, “charge up for Blast Burn!”

Yuuri said nothing as Charizard opened its mouth to draw a deep breath, charging up while Salamence stayed exactly where he was. Viktor gaped.

“Why isn’t he doing anything?” he whispered into the pillow anxiously. “What is he waiting fo-”

_“Counter with Hydro Pump, Salamence!”_

Oh.

The Blast Burn and the Hydro Pump clashed mid-air, spreading a thick fog all over the arena, both Pokémon avoiding to get hit, but now unable to see much.

The cameras were all fogged up, too.

“What’s happening?” Viktor sat up on his knees, willing the fog to go away so he could see, “What are they doing?”

_“Charizard, keep out of sight while you recover!”_

Lance’s contours slowly came into view, along with Yuuri and Salamence, but Charizard was nowhere to be seen on the screen.

 _“That’s our cue, Salamence!”_ Yuuri suddenly told his Pokémon, catching everyone off guard; including Lance, it seemed, because for the first time ever during a battle with Yuuri, the champion’s gaze snapped directly towards his student, eyes wide in shock.

“What is he-?”

 

**

 

“Draco Meteor!”

Yuuri heard none of the shrieks and gasps from the audience because of the blood thrumming against his eardrums, adrenaline rushing at high speed as he gave the final command. The original plan had been to have Mega Altaria execute it with her unrivaled special attack stat, but Altaria had done her part brilliantly, and Mega Salamence’s Draco Meteor was (almost) as devastating as hers.

Definitely devastating enough to knock Charizard down from the sky. Or it should be.

“Dodge it, Charizard!” Lance tried, but for the first time during all the years he had been battling against Yuuri, an undertone of dread barely shone through in his voice.

Mega Salamence spread his crimson wings and moved to the side, summoning the attack requested. There was a menacing rumble in the now cloudy sky, followed by a crack like lightning. Moments later, a harsh meteor shower came crashing down from the sky, Salamence managing to very precisely target the arena and not the trainers or the audience.

There was no way for Charizard to escape the Draco Meteor.

The opposing dragon was knocked out of the sky, falling through the clouds and plummeted towards the ground. He crash-landed in the middle of the field with immense force, immediately getting hit by another meteor.

When the dust settled, everything went silent.

Charizard had snapped out of the Mega Evolution, knocked-out and battered in the middle of the arena, which in turn was in ruins. The water in the pool was gone, the grass had been ripped from the ground and burnt to dust, all the rocks were smashed and the field was littered with craters of various sizes, many Moonblasts and a Draco Meteor later. And from all the Bulldozing. And from the Earthquake Garchomp had attempted to use against Altaria.

The arena was unrecognizable, but Salamence was still flying.

As if the audience realized that, the stadium erupted in ear-shattering cheers, Yuuri’s name being chanted over and over while everyone was trying to comprehend what had happened.

Yuuri’s head spun and he felt faint, sinking to his knees in exhaustion and shock. Salamence snapped out of his Mega Evolved form to come and hover beside the trainer stand, sticking his head beneath the railing to nudge his trainer. Yuuri felt his arms move on their own accord, settling around the dragon’s neck to hug him, feeling salt sting in the back of his eyes, welling up and spilling down his cheeks with a sob.

“We did it, Salamence,” he whispered, trying to wrap his head around what had just expired, “we did it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote seven versions of this one battle. Seven. That's about forty pages of "no, not good, too predictable, what am I doing, oh sweet Arceus..."
> 
> R.I.P. my hair, it has fallen off now.
> 
> Mind you, this certainly isn't the first and last Yuuri vs. Lance battle I'm going to write (well, maybe for this prequel, but still), because I really want to take a shot at Z-Powered Mega Salamence/Altaria, but that's not going to happen on an arena filled with people that would probably die from the devastation.
> 
> (And I love Mega Charizard X. Sue me.)
> 
> Thank you all so much for all the love and support, all the prompts and ideas sprouting from this...! I want to write everything (goodbye sleep), but for now, free hugs for everyone! ^.^ <3
> 
> Small update: next chapter will be up on Tuesday around midnight in my timezone (GM +2:00). There have been serious changes to my normal schedule and I won't have time to edit the next chapter until then, it seems.


	13. Moving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri is moving forward, Phichit is moving around, Viktor is thinking about moving and Chris just wants to stay where he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got so many amazing comments about the last chapter I have no idea what to do with myself. Thank you all so much, I swear I'll find time to reply to you all soon! <3
> 
> And as promised: a new chapter and it's Tuesday around midnight here.

It felt like a dream.

A vivid dream filled with bright colors, smiling faces and soft, cottony clouds.

Well, the last part was probably mostly due to Altaria, who was hovering beside him for support, fully healed and taken care of.

Yuuri stepped up on the platform in the middle of the arena, looking around. He could see the crowd cheering, but he couldn’t hear a thing. All he could hear, and feel, was Altaria’s soft humming beside him, calming him down enough for his heart and mind not to race a million miles an hour and render him unconscious. With a nudge from his dragon, he felt himself smiling as he looked up and around at the cheering audience, and he found strength in his arm enough to wave.

He was exhausted and drained to the bone, and he couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.

But there were things that had to be done first.

He looked over at the representative Dragon Masters on the platform standing tall and proud in front of him, smiling. Every single one of them were smiling.

There was Drasna with her Noivern, the dragon flapping its wings slightly as his trainer grinned brighter than the Alolan sun. Iris, newly appointed Unova League Champion with her Haxorus, looking like she was restraining herself from running right across the platform to hug him, and Drayden with his own Haxorus beside her, arms crossed over his chest, his eyes twinkling in a rare expression of genuine happiness. Clair also had her arms crossed, Kingdra standing on her tail beside her trainer, who sported an expression clearly saying: _I knew you had it in you_. Beside her stood Drake with his Salamence (that was noticeably smaller than Yuuri’s), also with his arms crossed (it must have been a Dragon Master thing, really), looking exceedingly proud.

It had been too long since another Hoennian had claimed the Dragon Master-title, he had told Yuuri a couple of years back.

But Yuuri’s eyes finally landed on the tall figure beside the Hoenn Elite Four-leader. Rock-brown eyes softened to smooth sand, carmine red hair flaming like golden fire in the sunlight.

Lance was smiling.

It was only a little wider than usual, but it was a smile that reached his eyes, and Yuuri couldn’t ever remember having seen a softer expression on his almost permanently stoic features.

Yuuri couldn’t hear a word the Pokémon League President was saying during his speech, taking comfort in Altaria’s humming instead. Thankfully, he wasn’t obliged to utter a single word himself, and could keep his gaze fixed on Lance’s.

It said _I’m proud of you_.

It said _I’ve been waiting for this for a long time_.

When the League President was finally done, he came up to Yuuri to place the golden Pokémon League-badge on his battling jacket. Yuuri vaguely remembered himself thanking the small, bald man and shaking his hand.

And then, Lance and Drake approached.

Lance carefully fastened the Indigo League-badge in its rightful place beside the Hoenn League badge he had achieved the year before, the golden and indigo badge glinting in the sunlight, well-polished and scratch-free. And when Drake handed Lance the indigo velvet box containing the Dragon Master-pin, Yuuri willed his already straightened back to straighten further. Something akin to pride flickered in Lance’s eyes as he opened the box to show Yuuri its contents: a golden and indigo dragon claw-pin, identical to the ones on the other Dragon Masters’ chests.

Except for one detail.

“We took the liberty of removing the amethyst from the base of the pin.” Lance told Yuuri, voice much softer than usual, making sure he would actually hear him. “Your Mega Stone should fit there.”

_Oh_.

Yuuri nodded and removed the Mega Bracelet from his wrist, unfastening the stone from the silver jewelry and handed it to Lance, who placed it in the indent where the amethyst had been. He held it in place and fastened the mechanism around it, similar to the one on the Mega Bracelet.

It was a perfect fit.

Yuuri placed the now pretty much useless piece of jewelry in his pocket as Lance fastened the Dragon Master-pin to the left side of his chest in turn, the Mega Stone sparkling and vibrating slightly as Altaria’s Altarianite resonated with it, but she resisted the urge to Mega Evolve.

Lance placed a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder and he looked up.

The champion was smiling down at him.

“I look forward to battling you in full power in the future.”

And something clicked inside Yuuri, like a switch had been flipped. He felt the corner of his mouth twitch.

He was smiling back.

 

“Yuuri.”

The youngest Dragon Master in history turned around at his name being called, and immediately spotted Drake approaching him and his (now) former mentor. The older man smiled warmly through his impressive moustache, holding out his hand to shake Yuuri’s.

“You looked so worn-out yesterday I thought I’d save this for today,” he began, handshake firm, “congratulations. To think that eleven years ago, I was already sure you had all the potential to become a strong dragon trainer, and look at you now; the youngest Dragon Master in history.”

Much to his own surprise, Yuuri found that the humble smile on his face spread naturally. The good night’s sleep he had gotten the previous night after the intense battle had seemingly been sufficient in recharging his batteries.

“You planted the idea in my head in the first place, to be honest.” He revealed to Drake, feeling like it was finally the right time to do so. “I might have never considered challenging the Hoenn League when I turned ten if it weren’t for you.”

Something akin to pride settled on the older Dragon Master’s features at the confession.

“I’m glad.” He nodded. “I’m actually approaching you today with another proposition, if you would be willing to lend me an ear again for a moment.”

Yuuri glanced over at Lance as per habit, and the champion gave him a rare smile.

“You’re a Dragon Master now.” He reminded his former student, patting his shoulder. “I’m no longer your mentor, and therefore, you’re no longer my student either. But if you’d want some advice, still, I’d tell you to listen to Drake.”

Yuuri took comfort in the reassuring squeeze Lance gave his shoulder. He nodded, then turned back to Drake.

“What do you propose?”

 

**

 

“Thank you so much!” the junior coordinator told Viktor with sparkling eyes and a blinding smile on her adorable, rounded face, cradling her Pikachu to her chest. “Training was so much fun!”

Viktor smiled right back at her.

“Training with your Pokémon should be fun.” He told her as they made their way towards the exit of the training court. “I’m glad I could help.”

The girl paused, worrying her bottom lip as a flicker of sadness glimmered in her eyes.

“I have to go back to Lilycove tomorrow with my parents.” She revealed, looking more and more crestfallen as reality dawned on her. “But I don’t want to go. You’re the best mentor I’ve ever had.”

Viktor’s fragile heart of glass trembled dangerously, threatening to shatter as the girl held back tears. He had no idea how to handle such a situation, but there was a child beside him that was five seconds away from crying, and he had to do at least something. He put on his best reassuring smile and knelt down to her eye-level.

“Hey,” he said softly, catching her attention and holding out the Lillipup-tissue box for her to grab a piece of paper, “we’ll train together again sometime, okay? And Lisia is in Hoenn; she’s an amazing mentor.”

The girl blinked, enormous brown eyes looking back at him.

“But Lisia is in Kalos…”

Viktor had completely forgotten about Lisia’s new contract with the PokéStar Studios.

_Ah, well…_

“She’ll be back soon.” He tried to encourage the girl, giving her a pat on the shoulder. “And I’ll see you at the junior contest prior to the Lilycove Contest Spectacular, right?”, she nodded in confirmation, “Right. So, take care till then. Here…” he reached into his bag and pulled out a Thunder Stone ha had grabbed with him almost on instinct the same morning, having had half a mind to give it to the girl the whole week and always forgetting it, “…for some time in the future, when Pikachu wants to evolve, if he ever wants to. I have no use for it.”

The girl’s eyes widened in surprise, a wide smile spreading on her face, tears forgotten.

“Thank you!” she grinned, placing Pikachu down for a moment to hug Viktor, “You’re the best! I wish you lived in Hoenn.”

Viktor sighed to himself, leaning back against the deserted counter where the attendants would stand during contests, watching as the girl was led out through the front doors by her parents. She was only one among the many young coordinators that had traveled from Hoenn to Sinnoh to be mentored by Viktor for only a few days or weeks, and with Lisia currently shooting a movie in Kalos, their numbers had increased dramatically.

Viktor was a sought-after mentor, even if only a very temporary one, and he had been forced to take Madame Lilia’s advice and start turning people down when his schedule became so full he barely had time to train on his own. He needed practice time himself, and luckily, most people understood that. Those who didn’t, Viktor was glad to turn down anyway.

Closing his eyes momentarily to focus, Viktor sighed again. The girl wasn’t the first one to say she wished he lived in Hoenn, and more than one of his Hoennian (temporary) students had expressed they wished him to move there. All the prompting added to the fact that Viktor felt a strong pull towards the Hoenn region for reasons that had nothing to do with coordinating whatsoever made him very tempted.

Very, very tempted.

But he had duties. He couldn’t leave all his Sinnoh students in the middle of the contest season, and he had to stay in Jubilife during the exhibition months too, preferably. That meant that if he actually wanted to move to Hoenn, which he had wanted to do for quite a long time already, it would have to wait at least five or so months.

Viktor stared at the ceiling.

…there was really no stopping him after five or so months, though, was there?

 

**

 

“Phichit, slow down!”

“But Yuuriiii,” the Alolan complained, pouting as he halted in his tracks, “you’re leaving me in five or so months, and I _need_ to get through at least the Kalos, Unova, Sinnoh and Hoenn Leagues before that if I’m going to have enough experience to enter the Pokémon League Tournament next year. You must understand I need to hurry!”

“You just listed all the other leagues except the Indigo League that you’ve already tackled, and even with Team Steel, you’re not going to make it through them all in the span of five months.” Yuuri attempted to reason with him. “But you take on the Kalos League now that we’re here, and then I might have time to accompany you to Unova before I have to go back to Hoenn, all right? You can come with me there and challenge the Hoenn League in turn.”

Phichit lit up.

“So, I might get to challenge you?” he grinned, steel-grey eyes twinkling. “You’re on, Katsuki.”

Yuuri laughed, “Not yet; maybe in a year or so. But one day, Chulanont, one day.”

 

“I _totally_ lost to Wikstrom!” Phichit informed Yuuri as he exited the Ironworks Chamber. “Next time, I’m taking him on first, and Malva second. That Aegislash swiped my whole team without even trying.”

“It’s a tricky opponent, that’s for sure.” Yuuri agreed as they began walking towards the League Challenger Healing Station to help Phichit’s team. “Lucario is your best bet, though.”

“I know, but I can’t get the timing right.” The Alolan groaned. “It dodges Foresight every time, so all fighting-type moves are useless, and when I manage to use Dark Pulse, it takes it to the shield and that’s it. In Shield Forme, it can apparently take on anything.”’

Yuuri was inclined to agree. Wikstrom’s Aegislash had even taken a Flamethrower dead-on from his Salamence without fainting, after all.

“You need to strike when it changes to Blade Forme, and you need to be quick.” He advised his friend. “Teach Lucario to start charging up for a Dark Pulse as soon as Wikstrom commands Aegislash to perform Sacred Sword or Brick Break, which are super-effective against your Pokémon. That way, he will have the attack ready to go as soon as you give the cue, without having to wait for him to charge it up; make it quicker. The surprise works in your favor.”

Phichit stopped mid-step and turned to Yuuri, jaw to the floor.

“Is that what you did with Salamence’s Hydro Pump?” he asked, realization dawning on him as he thought back to the battle that had earned Yuuri the Master Trainer-status. “He charges it up when someone gives a command for a strong fire-type move like Blast Burn?”

“And Flare Blitz and Fire Blast.” Yuuri confirmed. “That’s one example. Salamence was ready to go on immediate command, which gave room for surprise when needed. If you teach Lucario to have the Dark Pulse ready to go on immediate command and follow up with another one directly after, or manage to land the Foresight so you can use Close Combat when Aegislash is caught off guard, you should be able to pull through.”

Phichit kept staring at him for a good ten seconds. Then, he grinned.

“That’s why you’re the youngest Dragon Master in history, and luckily, also my best friend. So,” he grabbed Yuuri by the arm and started to drag him towards the Healing Station, “how do I teach Lucario that cool stuff you just explained?”

 

**

 

Chris was prepared for the onslaught of questions long before Viktor opened the official _Pokémon League_ -magazine, bracing himself as they started flying in his direction.

“Who’s that?” was the first and immediate reaction, the Top Coordinator not even sparing the text a single glance before his eyes landed on the first picture on page four, “Why is he traveling again? Are they in Lumiose? Why is he holding an Emolga? Are they wearing _matching shirts?_ ”

“Read the article, darling,” Chris replied, having had the answer to life, the universe and everything on the tip of his tongue the whole time while waiting for Viktor to take a breath, “it explains it all, even the matching shirts.”

“Does it?” Viktor muttered, annoyed, but started reading anyway. Katya jumped up beside him on the bed and placed her head in his lap to have a look at the magazine. He automatically started petting her.

“Mhmm, it does.” Chris assured him, brushing the fine fur on Delcatty’s back firmly, getting a content purr as thanks. “I believe it said ‘best friend.’”

“Right…”

“And the shirts are from the Battle Institute.”

Viktor whined, “He’s traveling with another _trainer_ , Chris! He’s not interested in contests or coordinators; I don’t stand the slightest chance. I’ve never even beaten Wallace, and he’s done it _billions_ of times!”

“He’s done it four times.”

“That’s a billion. And ‘best friend’ can mean anything.”

“Sure, want to make out with me?”

That caught Viktor’s attention, his head snapping directly towards the Kalosian.

“I love you, honey, but I really don’t want to make out with you, no offense.” He found his voice to reply. Chris grinned.

“Likewise, darling.” He replied, giving Delcatty a peck on the top of her head to show her the grooming was over and done with. “I’m trying to make a point. Last time I checked I was your best worst friend, and assuming that that hasn’t changed, I still am. Now, it says right there in the _official_ League magazine that Phichit Chulanont is Yuuri Katsuki’s _best friend_ and that they will be traveling together for a few months before Yuuri has to return to Hoenn.”

“My life is over, Chris.”

“You’ve never even met the guy!”

“What if he doesn’t like guys at all?”

Chris threw a pillow at Viktor to gain his attention fully, making the Top Coordinator yelp and quickly pull the magazine out of the way.

“You’ve never even met the guy.” Chris repeated firmly, stretching out on his own bed. “So, for now, take a deep breath, accept that the Alolan is his best friend and nothing else, and enjoy the posters, oui?”

The last part made Viktor perk up.

“Plural?”

Chris shrugged, “He’s the youngest Dragon Master in history, and Pokémon League Champion. Of course it’s plural; one for each team member, one with the whole team, and one together with Lance. Take your pick.”

“I’m having all of the-, oh Arceus, the one with Mega Altaria is _gorgeous!_ ” Viktor gushed, eyes sparkling as he reveled in the sight of Mega Altaria with one wing around Yuuri, who was dressed entirely in white for a change, resting their foreheads together.

He would have given up his Top Coordinator-title and all the Ribbons he had ever won to swap places with the Pokémon in the picture, but that piece of information he decided to keep to himself.

Chris hummed, a mischievous and all-too-knowing grin spreading on his lips, eyes twinkling.

“I thought the one where he’s leaning cross-armed on Mega Salamence’s back was rather hot.” He commented.

It had the exact effect he wanted.

Viktor’s eyes widened comically as he started rifling through the pages.

“What, where? Where is-, _Chris! Give it back!_ ”

 

**

 

“So, you’re taking Drake up on the offer to become the next leader of the Hoenn Elite Four?” Iris inquired as she sat down on the porch with Yuuri and Phichit for an afternoon snack while their Pokémon lounged around the enormous yard the Unovan dragon family owned, “You did beat Steven, though; you would have all the means necessary to challenge the Elite Four and him again and take the champion-position. Why not?”

Yuuri shook his head.

“I had plenty of time to get acquainted with the champion-position while being mentored by Lance.” He explained, taking a sip of Lemonade. “And with how much time he had on his hands to help me, train with me, _travel_ with me…” he shook his head again, “…he barely had any challengers at all; most of them never make it past the Elite Four. If I were to challenge Steven for the position and get it…” he shrugged, “…what would I do? Steven is a geologist in addition to being champion, so he has plenty of things to do to pass the time, but… I mean, at least as an Elite Four-member, and especially as the leader, I would have more to actually do.”

Iris nodded, buying his explanation, “The Elite Four is there to make sure the champion has to actually be at the League as little as possible, I suppose.” She shrugged in turn. “Fair enough, it’s quite lonely at the top, I admit.”

Yuuri gave her a sympathetic smile. Alder had wished to step down as Unova League Champion a few months before the Pokémon League Tournament, and as the Unova Elite Four-leader, Lady Caitlin, had had no interest in taking over the position, the Master Trainers of the region had been gathered to battle for the position (and for a possible open spot in the Elite Four). Iris stood victorious over Dark Master Grimsley, meaning the Elite Four remained the same, and that the Dragon Master was declared Unova League Champion. She had already told Yuuri multiple times how boring it was since barely anyone made it past Caitlin the Psychic Master, and that the only things she had to look forward to were the tournaments.

…if anyone managed to clear a path to actually battle her, of course.

“So, is Drake making you step in to battle in his stead during next year already?” Iris continued her questioning, picking up an Axew that was pulling on the fabric of her baggy pants to gain her attention, “Maybe at a tournament or two? Maybe not the Pokémon League Tournament yet, but the Hoenn Battle Resort Master Challenge, possibly?”

“Possibly that, and possibly the Sinnoh Battle Zone Master Challenge, too.” Yuuri replied. “We haven’t talked too much about the details yet as I’ve been on the road, but I’m probably going to do some battling in his stead next year already, at least after the all the paperwork is done.”

“Let’s see, so probably not the Pokémon League Tournament yet,” Iris pondered, going through her inner calendar, “but then there’s the Battle Resort Master Challenge, and the Battle Zone Master Challenge almost immediately afterwards. Then there’s the Hoenn League Challenge, and the Pokémon World Tournament here in Unova by the end of the year. Oh, and the Battle Maison Master Week in Kalos during spring, I forgot about that one, but you probably won’t have to worry about that event until the next time they decide to have a dragon-themed week.”

“I don’t really have to worry about anything so long as I don’t have the right to represent the Hoenn League officially, and the paperwork is going to take some time.” Yuuri pointed out. “The earliest I’ll be allowed to battle in Drake’s stead as a League representative is at the Battle Resort Master Challenge, and that’s in the middle of the summer next year.”

“You’ve never participated in those before, have you?” Phichit asked him curiously, feeding his newest team member, an adorable Dedenne, with magost berries and whipped cream. Yuuri shrugged.

“Well, I’ve visited all of them except for the Battle Maison.” He admitted, scratching his neck. “But I’ve never participated. I’ve used them as opportunities to gather inspiration and ideas for battling strategies.” He gave up a small laugh. “And now it seems I’ll soon have to start taking part in all of them, step by step.”

“You can’t escape the World Tournament anymore soon.” Iris grinned, giving him a wink. “I look forward to seeing you there, and hopefully battle you, too.” She turned to Phichit. “Also, I expect _you_ to floor the Unova Elite Four so I’ll _finally_ have a challenger. I haven’t had a decent battle since the Pokémon League tournament, and that was _ages_ ago.”

Phichit grinned broadly, leaning forward and out of the way as Yuuri attempted to feed his curious (and hungry) Haxorus some pancake behind his back, and looked straight at Iris.

“Challenge accepted, Miss Champion!”

 

**

 

“You’re finally going through with it, then?” Chris asked Viktor curiously as they exited the Celadon Contest Hall after yet another exhibition to head back to the hotel.

“Yeah.” Viktor confirmed, cradling Katya in his arms for comfort at the thought. “I’ve wanted to move there for a couple of years now, give or take… I mean, I really liked living in Sootopolis for a time, but it’s quite remote, and I’ve come to like Lilycove more over the years…” he sighed slightly, a smile creeping to his lips, “I’d really like to move there, and now I have a chance. Change of scenery and all that.”

“And that one Dragon Master?” Chris suggested innocently, earning a glare and a couple of rosy-pink cheeks from Viktor.

“He doesn’t even live in Lilycove.” The Top Coordinator reminded his friend.

“Oh, not _yet_.” Chris agreed easily as his grin grew wider. “But as far as I can remember, you spent about a week telling me about that one interview where he said he was considering moving to either Lilycove or Mossdeep at the beginning of next year when he starts out as Drake’s apprentice to become the next leader of the Hoenn Elite Four. If you’re going to tell me you’re not crossing all fingers and toes in hope he chooses Lilycove, I know you’re lying.”

The blush on Viktor’s cheeks turned an undignified shade of red.

“Mossdeep is closer to the League.” He muttered, burying his burning face into Katya’s cool fur. “What are you going to do, for the record? You’re a Master Rank-coordinator now.”

Chris allowed his best friend to, at least momentarily, change the subject.

“I’m staying in Coumarine City for now.” He replied with a shrug. “I’m in no hurry anywhere. Maybe when I get the Top Coordinator-title at some point, I’ll consider moving about, but Coumarine is quite a nice city to live in, you know?” he gave Viktor a wink, “A nice resort area with a few nice beaches to go skinny-dipping at in the evenings.”

“I’ll make sure to take pictures next time.” Viktor promised, taking a sip from the cold Lemonade they had been given for free after the exhibition as usual.

“Well, the beaches do look better with me on them.” Chris decided, reaching for his own bottle of Lemonade as he had been reminded of its existence. “Need help moving to Lilycove at the beginning of next year?”

For all the smiles Viktor had to offer, Chris liked the soft and most genuine ones the best. The ones that reached Viktor’s aquamarine eyes and made them sparkle with gratitude, such as the one he was now gifting Chris with.

“I might need some, yeah.”

_Thank you._

 

**

 

“So, which is it going to be?” Mari asked Yuuri as the Katsuki family, Phichit and Minako were all seated around the dinner table at the Yu-Topia Akatsuki dragon shelter, bellies filled with katsudon and three bottles of rice wine lined up on the table, “Lilycove or Mossdeep? Now that you’ve gotten acquainted with your living-arrangement alternatives.”

Yuuri took a sip of his drink, silent for a moment. He worried his bottom lip slightly before speaking:

“Mossdeep is nice, but…” he shrugged, “…the apartment there wasn’t really ideal. The backyard was really small, and so were the living quarters.”

“It was ridiculously expensive, too.” Phichit filled in. “For a broom closet with a bed in it.”

“I do like Lilycove more overall, anyway.” Yuuri continued, absentmindedly reaching up to lift down his mother’s small Swablu that had perched itself on his head like a fluffy cotton hat, placing it in his lap to pet him. He started humming instantly. “It’s connected to the mainland, it’s closer to Hasetsu, and it doesn’t take that long to fly between Lilycove and the League on Salamence’s back. The apartment was very nice and much better suited for our needs, too.”

“Bigger backyard?” Toshiya guessed. Yuuri nodded.

“Much bigger. I would have the entire upper floor of the house to myself, and there’s a staircase leading up to it on the outside, so I don’t have to disturb the old couple that owns the house and lives on the bottom floor unless necessary. They also assured me they had no troubles with the dragons lounging in the backyard, and the yard is a sheltered place with both shade and sun. It’s essentially perfect for us.”

“Lilycove it is then.” Hiroko agreed, smiling warmly. “When are you moving?”

Yuuri smiled back.

“In two weeks.”

 

**

 

“That’s it.” Ekaterina confirmed, folding the list and placing it in her pocket. “That’s the last box.”

Viktor breathed out a sigh of relief, as did his father.

“When did you have the time to hoard so much stuff, Vitya?” Alexander asked, looking at the impressive number of cardboard boxes in the two moving vans. Viktor shook his head in disbelief.

“I have no idea,” he admitted, “but I’m very glad I have help waiting for me in Lilycove.”

“Chris will be there?” Ekaterina wished to confirm.

“Yeah, and I hired a company that supplies help with carrying heavy stuff.” Viktor revealed. “We’re going to have a few Machokes with their trainers to help us out.”

“Oh, good.” His mother sighed in relief. “You’ll do just fine, then.”

“Right, the vans are good to go.” Alexander concluded, stepping aside to let the drivers close them up. “And when does your flight leave tomorrow morning, young man?”

Viktor smiled, double-checking the time on his Xtransciever, reading the note all over again:

Jubilife 09:30 – 14:10 Lilycove

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moving closer and closer, and these boys can't keep dancing circles around each other for much longer... or can they?
> 
> Now, the next chapter will be up at the very latest on Friday around midnight, and I will find the time to read through and reply to all your comments, because they give me life and the kick I need to get the chapters edited and posted. And to continue writing the next part of the story, too...
> 
> Many hugs and much love to all of you! (and PokéPuffs for all your Pokémon, of course) ^.^ <3
> 
> (Bonus if you spotted a little piece of intertextuality in today's chapter. Remember your towels!)


	14. Lilycove Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor moves to Lilycove, settles down and falls into an everyday routine fairly quickly.  
> Yuuri moves to Lilycove, settled down and falls into a different everyday routine just as quickly.  
> ...but not every day is a normal day, perhaps.

Viktor slumped down on the floor of the living room in his new penthouse apartment, panting heavily. Sweat was beading on his brow and silver strands of hair sticking to his forehead as he attempted to push it out of the way.

“That’s it,” he breathed, stretching out over the cherry-wood floor, “done. For today.”

“Good.” Chris agreed, leaning against the closest yet-unopened cardboard box. “Everything’s been brought up and all the biggest furniture is in place. Brilliant idea to hire that moving company with the Machokes to help.”

“I would’ve died without them.” Viktor sighed heavily, gratefully accepting cooling kisses from Katya. “And without Meowstic and Froslass, too.” He paused. “As soon as I manage to get up from here, I’ll take a shower and get us something to eat.”

“Then I’ll take a shower while you get us that something.” Chris decided. “Which reminds me; which box contains your supplies of Pokémon food?”

“Let’s ask Katya that.” Viktor smiled, booping the Glaceon’s nose with his own to catch her attention. “Hungry?”

She immediately perked up, “Eon!”

A flash of blue sprinted towards the kitchen, and seconds later, the sound of claws scratching on cardboard reached their ears.

“Found it.” Viktor reported with a grin as Chris chuckled. “Change of plans; we feed our darlings first, _then_ I’ll take a shower, and then order us take-out while you take a shower in turn. Ramen?”

“Well, we are in Hoenn.” Chris grinned back, willing himself to sit up a little straighter to stretch, “ramen will do nicely.”

 

**

 

“This place is perfect.” Mari decided, looking out through the open window to the big backyard. Yuuri and Phichit’s Pokémon were snoozing soundly in the shade of the trees, along with Mari’s Goomy, who was taking a nap right beside a small spring with a fountain in it, her body absorbing the moisture to keep her body gooey. “There’s eighteen Pokémon sleeping out there right now, and all of them seem to have quite enough space.”

“Yeah, even though Salamence, Haxorus and Dragonite take up about a third of it on their own.” Yuuri pointed out, wiping away sweat beading on his forehead. “And let’s add Flygon to that third, too, as he mostly sleeps on Salamence’s back.”

“And does Altaria and Hydreigon always sleep like that?” Mari inquired, gesturing towards the two. Altaria was humming softly even in her sleep, Hydreigon snoozing soundly beside her, comfortably wrapped inside her cottony wings.

Yuuri shrugged, “When he was still a Deino, he got used to falling asleep to Altaria’s humming, and it just became a habit of theirs. I don’t know if he would be able to sleep properly outside his PokéBall without her there to lull him anymore, to be honest.”

“It’s the cutest thing, you know.” Phichit informed Mari as he joined them by the window. “Hydreigon always shows Altaria his gratitude by collecting ridiculous amounts of dry-flavored berries, as both of them happen to favor those, and then they eat them together and go to sleep. He’s probably trying to court her, Yuuri.” The Alolan winked at him. “If you’re not careful, you’ll soon have a small army of Swablus on your hands.”

“I still think Altaria sees him as her son, though…” Yuuri protested, albeit a little hesitantly. Mari chuckled, patting his shoulder.

“Just talk to mum and dad if anything… _unexpected_ comes up.” She grinned, ruffling his hair. “Now, where do you want your bed?”

 

**

 

“We reserved this windowless indoor training court for you, as per your wishes.” The Lilycove Contest Hall manager told Viktor, unlocking the door and holding it open for him. “Have a look around.”

“Thank you.” The Top Coordinator replied, stepping inside to take the room in. It looked more or less identical to the one he had gotten used to in Jubilife, except the ceiling was red instead of blue, and the walls were a warm, sunny orange instead of violet. In size, it seemed to be exactly the same.

“The floor is made to withstand both ice and fire, and you don’t have to worry about water damage; we’ve got that part covered.” The manager continued as she joined him, clipboard under her arm and a hand on her hip. “And if you need an outdoor court at any point, you can just book a time using one of the computers behind the counter in the lobby.”

Viktor nodded in acknowledgement, allowing Katya to jump down on the floor before releasing Ninetales, Froslass, Weavile and Lapras to acquaint themselves with their new surroundings. He wanted to make sure his Pokémon approved of the arrangements, after all.

As a major bonus, there even was a pool of water in the corner, which Lapras immediately discovered. She used Ice Beam on the floor to slide right over to it, settling down on the water with an approving expression on her features, singing softly in contentment.

If Lapras approved, then everyone approved. That was an unwritten rule that the whole team just seemed to follow.

Including Viktor.

“Looks perfect, sounds perfect, and my teammates approve.” He stated, turning to the manager. “We’ll take this one, then. So,” he flashed her a blinding smile, “where do I sign?”

 

**

 

“You can start using my training court immediately.” Drake told Yuuri, gesturing around the space they were standing in. “It’s identical to the Elite Four-leader battle court, so you’ll get used to the surroundings. I imagine that that will be of immense help to your Hydreigon, too.”

“Definitely.” Yuuri sighed in relief, smiling as he looked around the training area. “And the roof opens up using that panel over there?”

“Just like on the battle court, yes.” Drake confirmed. “Now, then, this way…” he continued, leading Yuuri out of the training court and out of the building altogether, heading outside and descending a staircase, “…we prefer to hold our breaks down here, so we can let all our Pokémon out, too. I have no doubt your team will get used to the other Pokémon around here soon enough.”

They ended up in a yard the size of a smaller meadow, with a larger picnic-table placed in the shade of an enormous cedar tree. Yuuri also spotted a spring that no doubt connected to the larger stream that went crashing down into the ocean on the south side of the island.

It was spacious, it was open yet secluded, and above all, it felt welcoming.

“It’s perfect.” Yuuri decided, letting his team members out of their PokéBalls to acquaint themselves with the surroundings. While everyone else quickly scattered around to have a look, Hydreigon stayed by Yuuri’s side anxiously. Yuuri placed a hand on the neck of his left-hand head and gently guided him towards the cedar tree, which seemed to be the perfect object to use to ground the dragon to the new place, and the part dark-type followed without a fight.

Hydreigon hadn’t become any less aggressive or jumpy over the years, but he had at least resorted to stay close to his trainer and/or Altaria whenever he was faced with something new, instead of going on a rampage and attacking everything that moved (or not moved) immediately.

It warmed Yuuri’s heart to think that Hydreigon could find that kind of comfort in him and in everyone’s favorite cotton cloud.

Drake hummed, “I had a feeling you and your team would approve of this place. On rainy days, we usually let the Pokémon out in the indoor garden beneath Phoebe’s training court and hold our breaks down there instead; it’s definitely big enough for all of us.” He paused, thoughtful. “What else…? Ah, yes! When sparring with the other Elite Four-members, we usually take turns using each other’s training courts, and the host takes care of the aftermath. It’s only fair.”

“Noted.” Yuuri replied, scratching the jet-black fur around Hydreigon’s left-hand head. He took a deep breath, “And where does the paperwork happen?”

Drake gave him a sympathetic smile.

“The office is right beside the training court.” He answered, gesturing towards the staircase leading back up to the League buildings. “This way.”

 

**

 

6:30

That was when Viktor’s alarm went off in the morning, and he reached out a hand to turn it off, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and stretching his long limbs. He sighed deeply, sitting up. Sunlight already tried sneaking into the room through the pale violet curtains, reaching the foot of Viktor’s king-size bed. He stretched again, his back cracking slightly as he did.

“Well, good morning to me.” He murmured through a yawn, getting up and heading straight for the bathroom.

He quickly showered, blow-dried his hair, brushed his teeth and pulled on an aquamarine blue morning gown before heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for his Pokémon first and for himself second. At the sound of the freezer opening, there was a rustle from one of the ice-coolers in the room beside the living room, and Katya was beside Viktor in seconds, flicking her tail and mewling.

_Feed me, good morning_.

In that order.

Weavile followed closely behind, and wherever Weavile was, Froslass wasn’t far away. Viktor no longer jumped to the ceiling whenever she appeared beside him out of thin air, but he had done it a lot when she first had joined the team years ago.

Ninetales and Lapras were the responsible, patient ones, waiting calmly in the Pokémon’s room for their food. Lapras preferred to stay in her pool and swim around, and everyone else had an ice-cooler of their own in various sizes to fit them. Having fed the impatient ones first, Viktor headed to the Pokémon’s room to give Ninetales and Lapras their breakfast. He then proceeded to brush Ninetales’ tail first and Lapras’ long neck second before returning to the kitchen to get himself something to eat, too.

Yoghurt, muesli, magost berry jam and a mug of coffee would have to do.

Sipping the last of his coffee outside on the balcony, Viktor scrolled through the news on his tablet just in case something of interest would catch his eye. However, nothing really did. There was a post about yet another setback for the Alola League, an interview with Professor Something-or-Other about Mega Evolution, and a small note from the Mossdeep Space Center about a new piece of equipment that was probably capable of telling them all kinds of amazing things, not that Viktor took the time to read about any of it further. There was no news concerning contests, coordinators, the Hoenn League or certain Dragon Masters, so he deemed the news page ‘not interesting’, downed the last of his coffee and went to get dressed.

By eight o’clock, Viktor left the apartment building and headed to the Lilycove Contest Hall to have a few hours of practice time of his own before a student would be coming in after lunch. With the day done at around three in the afternoon, he would go have a cup of tea, drop by the department store and then head home.

And that’s exactly how his day went.

When the young coordinator left at two-thirty, Viktor cleaned up the training court before changing out of his practice clothes and leaving the Contest Hall with a smile and a “see you tomorrow!” to the attendant behind the counter and some of the other Top Coordinators leaving around the same time as him. From there, he headed to the Lily of the Cove-tea house by the ocean, ordering a glass of silver needle-tea on autopilot. He sat down in the corner by the window as per habit, watching the soft, green grass bow slightly in the wind, and the deep blue ocean stretching out endlessly towards the horizon, sparkling in the sunlight.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

Having had his tea, Viktor stopped by the department store on his way home to pick up some groceries. He needed food both for himself and for his Pokémon, and Viktor thanked his yesterday-self for being considerate enough to write a shopping list. He would definitely have forgotten the toothpaste otherwise.

Finally returning home, Viktor released all his teammates into their room. Everyone headed straight for their ice-coolers, having had enough of the sun for the day, and Lapras easily slid into the water, singing contentedly. Katya still followed Viktor to the kitchen as he went to sort out the groceries (and place the toothpaste in the bathroom), but as he went to take a shower, she headed back to her ice-cold sanctuary.

He fed his Pokémon first before taking care of himself, settling for a simple noodle-wok with mushrooms and vegetables. It didn’t need to be more complicated than that for one person. All done, he sat down on the ottoman in the living room to eat, turned on the TV and ended up watching a Unovan action movie from a few years back, featuring Ice Master Brycen.

It was predictable and considerably boring, but at least Brycen played his part with flourish.

Not that Viktor was paying that much attention to the movie at all, lost in thought as he merely looked at the screen, registering that something was moving on it but not what exactly was going on.

He had been living in Lilycove for two months. Two months of the same routine every day and every other day, and while it didn’t bother him as such, it bothered him that he never seemed to be in the right place at the right time to even catch a glimpse of the Dragon Master he _knew_ lived in the same city as him.

Viktor had never seen Yuuri Katsuki around, and he had never even gotten a single clue as to _where_ he lived. He had attempted to listen in on other coordinators and people around town in general mentioned something that sounded remotely like “Yuuri” or “Katsuki”, but do far, it hadn’t been fruitful.

Some even speculated he didn’t actually live in Lilycove at all; that he lived in Mossdeep and had managed to trick the press into thinking he lived in Lilycove so he would be left alone. Somehow, even though Viktor admitted it was a perfectly plausible explanation, he highly doubted the truth of said speculation.

…even though he was slowly beginning to consider it a possibility himself.

Having groomed, talked to, and kissed all his Pokémon good night, Viktor slid beneath the snow-white covers of his king-size bed (fully naked as per habit), sighing deeply. He had wanted to meet Yuuri Katsuki for more than five years, and now that he finally knew he had a real chance of actually running into him, the thought filled him with both excitement and dread.

Yes, he _really_ wanted to meet Yuuri, but what would he say to him? What _could_ he way to him? Did Yuuri know who Viktor was?

_…probably not._ Viktor’s brain supplied.

He groaned, burying his face into his fluffy pillows.

He made a mental note to call Chris in the morning.

 

**

 

Yuuri did definitely _not_ wake up at six-thirty.

He _did_ , however, wake up at twenty to ten when Altaria let herself out of her PokéBall to nip gently at his arm, telling him that if she was awake, the others would follow closely behind. That was twenty minutes before Yuuri’s alarm would have gone off, but if his Pokémon were waking up and were hungry, he didn’t have much of a choice but getting up.

He gave Altaria a PokéPuff as an apology and a prayer for patience as he headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. He pulled his hair back and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, brushing his teeth and locating his glasses. Everything done, he headed to the small, upstairs kitchen area to prepare six enormous bowls of breakfast puffs for his team.

With some help from Altaria, Flygon and Dragonite, Yuuri managed to get all the bowls down to the backyard and let Haxorus, Salamence and Hydreigon out with the others. He brushed Hydreigon’s fur while the Pokémon was busy eating with all three heads, and then climbed onto Salamence’s back to brush his neck. The dragon puffed out a small flame in contentment, setting fire to his PokéPuffs, which thankfully enough were made for dragon- and fire-type Pokémon, and therefore able to withstand the flames and not lose flavor because of it.

At least Salamence continued munching down the food as if nothing had happened.

All grooming over and done with, Yuuri made himself some toast and a mug of coffee, joining his dragons in the backyard to have breakfast himself. He sat down in Haxorus’ lap as per habit and scrolled through the news on his tablet while handing the last piece of toast to the permanently hungry dragon.

There was nothing of interest as far as contests, the Pokémon League, or battling in general was concerned, but there was a short interview with Professor Sycamore about Mega Evolution that Yuuri decided to have a closer look at. In the end, it didn’t really provide any useful information for him or help him understand Mega Evolution any better, but it was an interesting read nevertheless.

After breakf-, er, _brunch_ , he changed into jeans and pulled on a hoodie to visit the grocery store around the corner to pick up some lunch, dinner, some Extra Dry PokéPuffs for Hydreigon and Altaria, and some more coffee. He was almost out.

Around midday, he recalled all his Pokémon, pulled on a pair of leather riding pants and matching leather boots, a long-sleeved, black polo, and the black coat with indigo markings he was more or less required to wear nowadays, despite him not being an official League representative yet. He left the apartment and headed straight for the small staricase that would lead him down to the almost permanently deserted, smaller beach where he could call out Salamence and fly off in peace.

Salamence lowered himself onto the sand as Yuuri pulled on a pair of fingerless riding gloves and climbed onto the dragon’s back, locking his thighs firmly around the base of Salamence’s neck and took a good grip with his hands. He clicked his tongue.

“Let’s go.”

As Salamence was a fast flier, it only took them around half an hour to reach the Hoenn League. The dragon landed smoothly in the meadow beneath the League buildings and Yuuri jumped off, rewarding his companion with some premium puffs and releasing all his other team members before joining the Hoenn Elite Four and the champion by the picnic-table beneath the cedar tree to have lunch with them.

“Any challengers today?” Yuuri asked.

“One,” Sidney replied, handing him a cool bottle of Soda Pop, “but Phoebe sent him on his way.”

Yuuri spent the afternoon sparring with Glacia and Steven, then left his team in the League Head Nurse’s care and joined Drake in the office to sort out the dreaded paperwork.

“As you can see, Glacia is requested to take part in the Battle Maison Master Week at the end of April.” The Hoenn Elite Four-leader told Yuuri, showing him the e-mail in question. “First, of course, we ask Glacia if she’s interested in attending, and if she says yes, another certified League-representative Master Trainer has to take her place here at the League during that time. There are a few options, here’s the list…”

Methodically, they went through the administrative responsibilities together, and it was only around eight in the evening that Yuuri climbed onto Dragonite’s back to let her take him back to Lilycove. Salamence had been sparring with Metagross in the afternoon, and while he was fully healed, he needed to rest.

Having made it home, he let all his dragons out in the backyard and fed them PokéBeans for a change before taking a shower and making himself some stir-fried rice, Swellow eggs and vegetables. He opted to go outside to enjoy the food and his dragons’ company, leaning against Dragonite’s side, sighing.

He had been living in Lilycove for about two months, and he barely moved around the city apart from the apartment, the beach and the nearby grocery store. Everything else he could get done either at the League or in Evergrande City during the hours of the day he spent over at the small island.

Dishes done, he recalled all his dragons and brushed his teeth before sliding under the cloud-patterned covers.

_Sigh._

Two months.

He had been doing the same things day after day for two months, and for someone who was used to moving and traveling around a lot, it felt suffocating. At least, Yuuri consoled himself, he got to fly to the League and back every day.

…except on weekends, of course. Those, he either spent with his family in Hasetsu, or then he located Phichit, so long as he was still in Hoenn, to join him on the road for a while.

He turned his head, his gaze landing on a single poster on the wall. It made his heart skip a beat.

Viktor supposedly lived in Lilycove nowadays, but Yuuri had never seen him. Their schedules were probably too different for them to just happen to be in the same place at the same time, and Lilycove wasn’t exactly a small city, either.

Part of Yuuri was relieved, while the other was terribly disappointed.

He really wanted to meet Viktor, but he was too afraid to make a complete fool out of himself to actively seek him out.

_He probably doesn’t know who I am, either…_ Yuuri’s mind supplied unhelpfully.

He fisted the sheets in his hands unconsciously.

Still…

 

**

 

It was a normal day. As normal as a day could possibly be. The sun was shining, the Fletchlings were chirping along with the Taillows, and the Wingulls’ cries easily pierced through the sound of the ocean, rippling blue waves as far as the eye could see. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and nothing else in particular that could have prepared Viktor for the fact that the day was going to be anything _but_ normal.

He should have seen the signs, of course.

The student that was going to come in after lunch had fallen ill and didn’t show up, so Viktor took one extra sparring session against Chaz and his Makuhita instead before leaving the Lilycove Contest Hall earlier than usual. It was, in fact, too early for tea, he decided, so he opted for taking a stroll along the shoreline instead, looking down at the water from the grassy hill Lilycove was built upon.

He didn’t think about anything in particular during his impromptu walk. Mainly, he mentally went through his shopping list, thought about what he should have for dinner, and if he maybe should stop by the beauty department at the store to pick up some more of that pale violet nail polish he had grown to like. As said, nothing in particular; merely normal things that he thought about every day. Nothing too interesting, nothing special.

Therefore, he wasn’t prepared for his (almost) completely normal day taking a complete one-eighty degree turn and becoming decidedly abnormal in the blink of an eye.

Something, or rather someone, dressed in black moved only just within Viktor’s field of vision, and that tiny detail was enough to make him stop dead in his tracks. Completely on instinct, he turned his head and blinked, absentmindedly reaching up to pinch his own arm to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

His arm hurt.

It wasn’t a dream.

Which meant the figure dressed in the black and indigo coat, leather riding pants and matching boots was exactly who Viktor thought it was.

The person he had wanted to meet for more than five years.

And said person was already descending the stairs towards the more secluded beach of the area, more than likely to fly off towards the Hoenn League on one of his majestic dragons, judging by how he was dressed.

_He’s about to leave_ , Viktor’s brain attempted to scream at him.

_Ah, right!_

And being the impulsive person he was, Viktor sprinted.

He threw everything out the window, including caution, dignity, and the not-too-hopeless-age-difference-anymore and ran as fast as his long legs would carry him towards the staircase and descended it two steps at a time, hoping with everything he had that he wouldn’t be too slow.

He had no idea what to say to the youngest Dragon Master of all time, and he had no idea how to explain why he was running after him in the first place, but Viktor knew he absolutely had to meet him. It couldn’t wait. _He_ couldn’t wait. Not anymore.

The beach was deserted when Viktor reached it, save for the single young man with jet-black hair standing by the shore, already holding a PokéBall in his hand. The Top Coordinator panicked, and did the only thing he could think of.

“ _Wait!_ ” he shouted, continuing to run towards him.

The Dragon Master stilled mid-motion and turned his head. Dark maroon eyes widened in look of… surprise?… as he slowly placed the ball back in his belt and turned around fully, the dragon claw-pin with the Mega Stone glimmering on his chest in the sunlight. Viktor reached him seconds later, panting heavily from the sprint, and fell completely speechless.

Tongue-tied.

He couldn’t speak.

His voice failed him, because Yuuri Katsuki was beautiful in the pictures, but they did _not_ make him justice.

Yuuri Katsuki was positively and breathtakingly gorgeous, and all Viktor could do was stare, physically feeling the small remains of his dignity slipping away with the sweat on his brow. His skin was tingling all the way down to his fingertips as his heartrate sped up, head running at a million miles an hour.

All common sense had completely left his body.

Viktor mentally slapped himself hard.

_Say something!_

“You’re Yuuri Katsuki.” He managed to breathe out, his mind not comprehending how exceedingly stupid that must have sounded.

Yuuri probably knew fully well who he was.

Viktor did, however, register that his voice was breathless in awe and admiration due to finally, _finally_ standing face to face with the person he had wanted to meet for so long, and only afterwards did he also realize that he must have sounded like a complete idiot.

_Stupid!_

Yuuri’s expressive chocolate eyes widened further as he stared at Viktor like he couldn’t believe he was real. His lips parted to speak, then closed again as he swallowed.

Viktor was about to mentally kick himself hard and live the rest of his life beneath a rock in embarrassment when the Dragon Master finally found his voice, and whatever Viktor was expecting, it was _not_ what Yuuri actually said. He had been waiting for the anticipated “I know”, or “I’m sorry, who are you?”, or even “I’m sorry, I’m busy” and take off on Salamence’s back like Viktor imagined he did when flying off to the League.

He said none of those things. Instead, he spoke quietly, his soft voice barely above a whisper:

“You’re Viktor Nikiforov.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I'm so tired I could sleep for a week, but I stayed up to edit this chapter anyway. Oh, well...)
> 
> Enjoy the, uh... cliffhanger? :'D
> 
> I had some unexpected time on my hands to get this part done today. Next chapter, though, will be up at the earliest on Friday around midnight, and at the very latest on Sunday around midnight. On Friday, though, as promised, I'll take the time to reply to all your lovely comments <3 many hugs! ^.^
> 
> But for now, good night!


	15. A Million Shades of Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri is embarrassed and bewildered.  
> Viktor is embarrassed and screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...here we go?

“ _Wait!_ ”

…huh?

Yuuri turned his head in the direction of the sudden distraction.

And froze.

_It can’t… be…_

He felt his hand move to place Salamence’s PokéBall back in his belt and registered his body turning around fully, completely on instinct, because his brain had either short-circuited, or then he hadn’t woken up that morning altogether. It had to be a figment of his imagination. A dream.

…right?

Because if it _wasn’t_ a dream, Yuuri absolutely could not comprehend why _Viktor Nikiforov_ was standing in front of _him_ , staring at _him_ , sweat glistening on his forehead as he panted heavily, out of breath.

Yuuri dug his fingernails into his palms.

It hurt. Meaning… it wasn’t a dream?

…meaning that Top Coordinator Viktor Nikiforov was _actually_ standing in front of him looking like he had just finished a marathon, staring at Yuuri as if he couldn’t figure out whether he was real or not, silver strands having slipped away from his trademark ponytail to stick to his forehead.

 _No… it_ can’t _be…_

Just as Yuuri was about to turn his head to check that Viktor really was, in fact, looking at _him_ and not at someone standing behind him, the silver-haired angel suddenly spoke, breathlessly:

“You’re Yuuri Katsuki.”

…

Yuuri’s world stopped rotating and sent his head reeling, emptying it of every coherent thought he had ever possessed in his life.

… _WHAT?!_

_‘You’re Yuuri Katsuki.’_

That was definitely Yuuri’s name, wasn’t it? Even though he wasn’t entirely sure he could remember his own name anymore, it did sound familiar. Yuuri Katsuki.

…yes, that was his name. For sure.

Yuuri’s brain helpfully tried to tell him that _Viktor Nikiforov knew his name_ , but that piece of information just wouldn’t register anywhere. Instead, his eyes widened in shock, jaw slackening enough for his lips to part, stunned. No words came out and he closed his mouth again, feeling like a Magikarp on dry land as he tried to locate his momentarily lost voice.

_‘You’re Yuuri Katsuki.’_

_He’s waiting for you to say something!_

Yuuri swallowed a nervous lump in his throat, Butterfrees breaking free in his stomach to flutter around vigorously. Internally, he inhaled deeply, attempting to find words.

“You’re Viktor Nikiforov.” Was the only reply he managed, his voice small, barely above a whisper, almost a squeak.

He immediately kicked himself. Hard.

Viktor undoubtedly knew his own name very well, thank you very much.

(For the record, Viktor had forgotten his name altogether for a moment, becasue Yuuri had _said_ something to _him_ and his brain was working on overdrive in an attempt to comprehend what was going on. His name rolling off Yuuri’s tongue in a small, soft voice did funny things to Viktor’s heart and made his palms grow warm, and he wasn’t sure it was all too good for his health.)

Viktor let out a small gasp, aquamarine eyes widening in surprise. Then, a bright smile spread on his lips at the same pace an even brighter blush spread on Yuuri’s cheeks.

“You know my name.” The Top Coordinator breathed, looking like he was about to laugh and cry simultaneously at any given moment. Yuuri tried to find a way to tell him that _of course_ he knew who Viktor was, because how _couldn’t_ he, but the coordinator spoke first. “You know who I am! I…!” Yuuri’s heart jumped up in his throat as Viktor’s hands were suddenly on his shoulders, a million watt smile on his face, aquamarines sparkling brightly in the sun, “…I’m your biggest fan!”

This time, Yuuri’s jaw did drop down onto the sand, eyes wide as PokéBalls as he stared at the Sinnohan in front of him, completely and utterly stunned.

“…wh-what?”

 

Well, there was no turning back now, was there?

Viktor bit his bottom lip to snap out of the trance-like state Yuuri’s eyes apparently were capable of putting him in. He took a deep breath, looking for words. Just word in general.

“I’m your biggest fan.” He repeated a little more decisively, determined to get the point across the second time around. “I saw you on TV five years ago, when you participated in the Pokémon League Tournament for the first time, and you were _amazing_ , and you continued being amazing, and I’ve seen every single one of your televised battles ever since, and I can’t get enough, I…” _inhale_ , “…I can’t get enough, and now you’re here, and I saw you, and I just _had_ to meet you, and…” he paused to swallow, unable to stop admiring Yuuri’s finely tuned, soft features, his dark pools of melted chocolate, his jet-black hair, and his slightly curvy figure, his posture exuding both strength and timidity simultaneously, which was highly endearing, “…the posters don’t do you justice.”

Realizing he had just rambled and blabbered like a confused Chatot, and realizing exactly _what_  he had said, Viktor felt his cheeks burn red-hot with embarrassment, rapidly spreading up to his ears and down his neck, sheepishly removing his hands from Yuuri’s shoulders to clasp them over his own mouth.

Yuuri must have _really_ thought he was an idiot, because he was looking at Viktor like he had sprouted two extra heads, dyed his hair lime-green and spoken gibberish atop everything else.

Viktor braced himself for the worst.

 

Yuuri, on the other hand, was absolutely and positively certain he had heard wrong.

Viktor had… watched all his battles? Viktor had wanted to meet _him?_ Viktor thought he was… amazing?

What was he supposed to answer to _that?_

“B-but…” Yuuri stammered weakly, trying to find his voice as it had escaped to an octave higher than usual, “…but I…” _deep breath_ , “…but I’m _your_ biggest fan!”

_…did I just say that?_

_Oh no, he’s gaping; I_ did _just say that!_

“ _Really?_ ”

Yuuri stared.

Viktor looked like he had been given all the answers the universe had to offer on a silver plate, eyes twinkling in… delight?… waiting for Yuuri to say something again. He swallowed nervously, his hands balling into fists like they always did before a battle, feeling determination spark somewhere in the back of his mind. He steeled himself.

“Yes,” he replied, voice trembling slightly, and he quickly tried covering it up by clearing his throat, “yes, I am. I…” _here goes nothing_ , “I saw you on TV ten years ago, when you participated in your first televised contest, and I’ve watched every single one ever since, because your routines they… stand out, they’re always surprising, it’s always something new, a-and you’re brilliant, mesmerizing, amazing, and,” he felt the blush spread all the way down to his chest, “I don’t even know what to say!” he finally squeaked, clasping his hands over his mouth in turn, simultaneously stunned and horrified over what he had just said.

_He must think I’m an enormous idiot._

 

_Adorable!_

The unfairly endearing blush reached the tips of Yuuri’s ears and sprouted a ton of Butterfrees in Viktor’s stomach, his palms growing warm as he resisted a strong urge to…

…to what?

Viktor swallowed his (inappropriate?) thoughts along with his nonexistent dignity.

“…wow.” He breathed.

Speechless.

Yuuri slowly lowered his hands from his face, worried his bottom lip and nodded shyly.

“…yeah.” He agreed in a quiet voice.

Viktor used every ounce of willpower he possessed to make his heartrate slow down and his head stop spinning enough to find his tongue (and preferably words in the process). It turned out to be an exceedingly difficult task, however, because _Yuuri Katsuki_ had just told him that he thought Viktor was brilliant, mesmerizing and amazing in a single breath, and his mind had long since short-circuited and reported error. He had no idea how words worked any longer.

But he had to say _something!_

Then he remembered Yuuri had actually been headed somewhere before Viktor stopped him, and blushed again in guilt and embarrassment.

“I’m so, so sorry, you’re probably busy!” he apologized frantically, wringing his hands nervously, “I mean, you’re probably headed off to the League, but I, just…” _I’m having a heart-attack!_ , “…doyouhavetimeforcoffeelater?”

_Wow, congratulations, Nikiforov. So smooth._

While Viktor attempted to strangle himself on the inside, Yuuri blinked in confusion.

“P-pardon?”

_Retry…_

“Coffee? Or tea? Later, of course, I mean, you’re probably busy now.” Viktor congratulated himself for being able to look Yuuri in the eye while talking, even though he was still hitting himself mentally with a frying pan.

Yuuri’s mouth opened, then closed, and he blinked again, fidgeting with his sleeves.

“Oh, uh… actually…” he blushed furiously, “…I’m not… there’s a League Champion meeting today and I don’t actually have to go there, I was just going to fly over anyway to train anyway, keeping a routine and everything, um…” he cast his gaze down.

Viktor stared.

Oh.

_Oh!_

“You don’t have to change your plans for my s-”

“Aren’t you busy yourself?”

Azure blue met chocolate brown as they stared at each other in wonder, having spoken at the same time. Yuuri had asked a question, though, and Viktor managed to gather his thoughts enough to shake his head ‘no’ in reply.

“I was supposed to mentor a student this afternoon, but he had fallen ill.” He explained. “I’m not busy at all.”

Yuuri worried his bottom lip again.

“O-okay…” he nodded slowly, “…then… tea, maybe? But…” he fidgeted with his coat, “…I don’t… you know, I don’t want to move around in public in these clothes too much…”

 _Of course he doesn’t_ , Viktor brain supplied, _he doesn’t like the attention_.

He could only think of one alternative solution. He grabbed Yuuri’s wrist before he could think, a bright smile spreading on his face.

“Then let’s have tea at my place!”

“E-eh?!”

 

He was in Viktor Nikiforov’s apartment.

No, really, he was in _Viktor Nikiforov’s_ freaking _penthouse_ apartment, in the kitchen, sitting by the island counter, watching Viktor freaking Nikiforov scramble around in an attempt to make them some tea and, based on the worried mumbling, wondering if he had any biscuits, pastries, sandwiches or just _anything_ to go with the drink.

It was very much unreal, and if 18-year-old Yuuri had told 8-year-old Yuuri he would one day be served tea by Viktor Nikiforov, his 8-year-old self would have fainted on the spot.

“Eon?”

“Hi there,” was Yuuri’s automatic response whenever a curious Pokémon approached for the first time, and he reached out a hand for Katya the Glaceon to sniff as she approached him over the island, “you would probably fit snugly in Dragonite’s palm, you know.”

“Eon.” She leaned her cheek into his hand, and Yuuri couldn’t help but smile.

He was perfectly capable of handling Pokémon. Just not their trainers.

“Come here.” He told her, patting his lap.

 

Viktor was not going to last a single minute longer if Yuuri continued being illegally adorable, because apparently, he was some kind of Pokémon magnet, too. Katya sniffed his hand once before stroking her cheek in his palm and then promptly jumped straight onto his lap, purring loudly in satisfaction as he scratched her back and behind the ears.

Katya hadn’t even warmed up to _Chris_ that quickly.

(Then again, that might have had more to do with Chris’ Meowstic than anything else.)

And then it got worse. Viktor’s heart stopped, his breath catching in his lungs as he stilled mid-motion.

His beloved Glaceon was showering Yuuri in cold, appreciative kisses, causing the Dragon Master to make the most adorable noise in the history of the known universe. The same Dragon Master that had trained some of the most hard-to-handle Pokémon in the world, the young man who had completely floored the entire Pokémon League by the age of seventeen, was giggling.

_Giggling!_

_He’s_ trying _to kill me, and he’s succeeding._

“She’s very friendly.” Viktor’s unknowing assassin commented as Katya tucked her head into the crook of his neck, enjoying the back-scratches she was being given generously. “And affectionate. She would get along well with Dragonite… and Altaria, of course.” He looked up at Viktor. “Are they all this friendly?”

_Yes, but not that quickly._

“Oh, uh…” Viktor scratched his neck sheepishly, clearing his throat, “…they’re all friendly, yes, but they tend to be a bit wary around new people. Lapras is the most welcoming, and Ninetales is quick to follow, they’re both highly intelligent when it comes to people and situations. If they approve, then Katya follows closely behind, usually. Weavile and Froslass,” he let out a small laugh, “they can be mischievous troublemakers, but they trust Lapras’ judgement, mostly.”

Yuuri nodded in understanding, “Most Pokémon are wary around strangers, but there are those that quickly can tell if a person deserves trust or not, like Lapras… and Dragonite, for example.”

“What about your other dragons?” Viktor asked curiously, glad to find that Pokémon was a topic of discussion they could apparently manage without being reduced to blushing piles of embarrassed goo on the floor, “When meeting new people, I mean? Honey, by the way?”

“Oh, a little, thank you.” Yuuri replied, accepting the mug of tea and the small jar of honey Viktor placed in front of him, along with a mug for himself and some biscuits from Chris’ previous visit. “Well, my dragons…” he hummed thoughtfully, stirring his tea, “…Altaria knows who she can trust and who she can’t, and she’s highly affectionate. Haxorus is friendly, but very territorial; it’s better to meet him for the first time when he’s not anywhere around home. He builds up trust relatively quickly though, and the same goes for Flygon, really. He usually follows Haxorus’ judgement.”

He furrowed his brows, “Salamence… is trickier, and so is Hydreigon. They’re exceedingly wary of strangers, and in Hydreigon’s case… well, he’s blind, which doesn’t help much. He doesn’t trust anyone apart from the team, not even Phichit or Lance that he has spent a lot of time with. Salamence has at least grown accustomed to the two of them, but… well, he doesn’t let anyone else but the team members onto his back, for example. He’s also very protective, probably because he’s the biggest. It’s quite unusual for Salamences in general, but…” Yuuri shrugged, taking a sip of his tea, “…let’s say that despite being a tricky bunch, they’re highly attentive. Not even Hydreigon attacks anymore without a command from me.”

Viktor’s eyes widened.

“Did he do that?” he asked, bewildered, “Before?”

Yuuri shrugged again, “He mostly hurt himself, ramming into rocks and trees and other hard surfaces in frustration and pent-up aggression. He bit a Goomy once when he was still a Deino, but thanks to her gooey body, she made it with only a minor injury. Hydreigon’s come a long way since then.”

“I could never train dragons.” Viktor murmured into his mug, admiration seeping through his whole being as he tried to wrap his head around the, in his mind, perfection that was Yuuri Katsuki. The Dragon Master let out a small laugh.

 

“I probably wouldn’t be able to train dragons if I hadn’t grown up with a bunch of them around.” He admitted to the Top Coordinator, who smiled warmly.

“I guess that’s how it tends to work, then.” He said, stirring a little more honey into his flavorless, white tea. “I grew up surrounded by ice- and fairy-types, and it seems I stuck to the former. Mostly.”

Yuuri hummed, feeling the smile on his lips widening ever so slightly.

“Your Ninetales is type-wise my entire team’s ultimate nemesis.” He decided to comment, absentmindedly feeding Katya some of his cookie. “In fact, your whole team has a type advantage over mine.”

Viktor let out a tingling laugh that sent Yuuri’s heart jumping around on a Spoink in his chest.

“No type advantage over your team has seemed to have halted you much on your way.” He pointed out, tilting his head slightly. “You’ve beaten a bunch of Master Trainers specializing in ice- and fairy-types, while the only Master Trainer I’ve beaten in my life so far is Fantina. You would easily win against me in battle.”

Yuuri felt his tomato-cheeks make a strong comeback and quickly lowered his gaze to his mug, the honey-induced white tea suddenly appearing very interesting. He curled his free hand into a fist and bit his bottom lip as he tried to find a reply.

 

“…but you have all the means necessary to do so.”

Viktor swallowed audibly, feeling his chest swell and grow warm as his mind registered that Yuuri, Master Trainer and Pokémon League Champion, thought Viktor would actually be able to _beat_ him in a battle. Well, maybe not right away, but when he learned _how_ …

_‘You could ask him for battling advice.’_

“Would you teach me?” he blurted out before he had time to Wimpod out. Then, he held his breath.

Yuuri’s head snapped up, wide, maroon eyes staring at Viktor in bewilderment.

“T-teach you?” he stammered quietly, his hands opening and closing nervously before opting to continue giving the now snoozing Katya back-scratches.

There was no turning back anymore.

“Yes.” Viktor nodded fervently, attempting to convey he was being serious. “Teach me. I mean…!” he felt the heat spread on his cheeks again, “Battling doesn’t come to me naturally and I’ve always struggled with it. I still haven’t been able to beat Wallace, you know…”

Yuuri blinked, seemingly surprised.

“Not even in a practice battle?” he asked shyly, worrying his bottom lip while the endearing blush spread up to his ears again. Viktor felt everything in his head filed under Coherent Thoughts slip away. Probably through his nose. He shook his head.

“No.” He admitted, embarrassed. “A-and, I mean, you’re probably busy, you don’t have to…”

 

_That wasn’t what I…!_

“When?”

The question slipped from Yuuri’s lips before he registered asking it aloud. Viktor’s mouth snapped shut as he met Yuuri’s gaze, shimmering aquamarines looking at him in wonder.

“When?” he repeated, eyes widening, “You… you would…?”

 _Of course I would!… if I_ can _help…_

Yuuri swallowed, then nodded hesitantly.

“I-if you… want to, then…” he nodded again, “…yes.”

Viktor’s lips parted slightly and then closed again, eyes glimmering as he processed what Yuuri had just said. The following moment, Yuuri found himself wondering if he maybe and possibly had sunglasses with him, because the Top Coordinator’s face broke into the most sun bright, overjoyed grin he had ever seen in his life, eyes sparkling in excited delight. He suddenly leaned forward to clasp Yuuri’s right hand with both his own, causing Yuuri’s heart to fly high up in his throat and making him jump slightly at the sudden contact. Which woke Katya up.

Had Yuuri been paying attention, he would have noticed that the hand he still had on the Glaceon’s back unconsciously attempted to soothe the startled Pokémon, who was currently glaring. At her trainer.

“I’d love to!” Viktor exclaimed, also very much happily unaware of his annoyed companion, “When do you have time? Where? What can I do to repay you? Buy you dinner? Make you dinner?”

Yuuri wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of questions, and he found himself leaning slightly backwards in his seat as if attempting to slow them down by moving further away.

“U-uh… Saturday? At the West Lilycove Training Center by the road connecting to Route 121? A-and dinner sounds good, I guess.”

 

Viktor made a mental note to thank Chris later.

“Saturday, West Lilycove Training Center by the road connecting to Route 121.” He repeated, etching the piece of information into his forgetful brain and absolutely willing it to stay there. “And then I’ll take you to dinner.” _It’s a dat-, no! It’s not!_ “We should exchange numbers.”

“Huh?” Yuuri blinked, looking up again after having been momentarily distracted by Katya attempting to turn his full attention back to her. _Traitor_. “Oh, yes, we probably should, i-if we’re going to meet for training and all…”

Viktor willed his poor heart to stop trying to hammer its way through his ribcage as Yuuri saved his number on his Xtransceiver. Which was snugly fit around his left wrist. Which Yuuri was holding with a warm, soft hand to keep it steady so he wouldn’t make any errors. When he was done, Viktor quickly returned the favor and prayed Yuuri wouldn’t realize that he could have just called him in turn without having to go through all the _trouble_ of taking a (slightly shaky) hold of Yuuri’s wrist to save his number in the Dragon Master’s Xtransceiver in turn.

Katya had apparently had enough of her trainer making a complete fool out of himself and decided to take over.

“Eon.” She poked Yuuri’s cheek with her cold nose, demanding attention by flicking her tail like the contest star she was. “Glaaa-ceon.”

“Hm?” Yuuri turned to her, poking her nose with his index finger in turn, “Attention-seeker. What is it?”

“Eon!” she demanded, jumping down onto the floor and pawing at his leg. “Glaceon!”

“Ah,” Viktor realized, letting out a laugh, “she wants you to meet the team, it seems.”

“Oh,” Yuuri nodded in understanding, sliding down from the stool and turning to Viktor, “is it okay?”

Viktor smiled, “Of course it is.” He assured, sliding down himself. “This way.”

 

In the span of one afternoon, Viktor Nikiforov had established three definite facts about Yuuri Katsuki. One: he was illegally adorable. Two: he had a type advantage over Viktor (and was most likely going to kill him).

Three: he was a magnet, and every Pokémon in the world was its polar-opposite.

That was at least the only reasonable explanation as to why Viktor’s entire team was surrounding the Dragon Master approximately two minutes after he entered the room. Even Weavile had emerged from his ice-cooler and was currently being spoiled with praise and belly-rubs, which was something Viktor had never thought he would get to see another trainer do to his part dark-type during his entire life.

Lapras and Ninetales had unsurprisingly approached first and welcomed Yuuri like he was an old friend, Lapras rubbing her cheek against his in a greeting, and Ninetales stroking her slender body along his leg before settling down on the floor beside him, head in his lap. Seeing as her teammates were okay with the newcomer, Froslass had appeared out of thin air beside Yuuri, making him pull back a little in surprise before he laughed, realizing what had happened. Then he called her ‘pretty’, and the flattery was apparently enough on his part to make Froslass melt (not literally) and settle down on his other side, curious.

And then Weavile had approached warily, and Yuuri had reached out a hand for him to sniff, unwavering in his actions despite the razor-sharp claws glinting dangerously in the cool light. Viktor had almost warned him to pull the hand away, just in case, because Weavile stilled when he sniffed it. However, Yuuri spoke first.

He praised Weavile’s feathers.

The part dark-type immediately puffed up said feathers proudly, preening at the attention, and seeing as Froslass and Lapras approved of the stranger, Weavile apparently decided he would, too. Which was why he was currently lying on the floor receiving belly-rubs.

Viktor’s heart was about to burst, and he found himself clutching his chest.

_‘I need to marry this boy, Chris, he’s too precious.’_

“Thank you,” Yuuri said softly as he stood up straight, having pulled on his boots, giving Viktor a shy smile, “for the tea and… everything.”

“Thank you,” Viktor seconded, handing Yuuri his indigo coat with slightly shaking hands, “I’m sorry, you know, for taking up your free practice time.”

Yuuri shook his head fervently, “Don’t be!” he replied hastily, “I… I’ve been training more or less daily during the last ten or so years. My teammates are probably relieved…” he blushed, “…t-to have had a day off. And…” he steeled himself, “…it was nice to meet you.”

Viktor beamed, “It was nice to meet you, too… finally.” His smile turned sheepish. “I still can’t believe you’ve watched all of my televised contests. It’s going to take some time for that to sink in.”

Yuuri’s ears were burning hotter than during the battle against Lance’s Mega Charizard.

“…I can’t believe you’ve watched all my televised competitions, either.” He almost whispered, burying his tomato-red face into his hand in embarrassment, thinking of all the times he had failed.

“I’ve read every interview and article I could find and saved every poster I could get my hands on.”

Viktor clasped his hands over his mouth. Yuuri’s body ceased to exist in his plane of reality as he went completely numb, his head emptying in shock.

“…”

He could merely stare.

Viktor looked like an overheated Cherubi.

“…this is terribly embarrassing…” he murmured, snapping Yuuri out of it.

“I’ve done that, too.” He quickly blurted out to save Viktor from his predicament. “I… I’ve done the same.”

Apparently, it worked, because in a matter of seconds, the Solar Beaming smile and the sparkling aquamarines were back, sending Yuuri’s world spinning in fifth gear.

“I know!” he exclaimed enthusiastically, “I’ll sign your favorite poster of me, if you sign my favorite poster of you! Wait, please, just a second…!”

Yuuri didn’t even have time to _blink_ before Viktor had already sprinted off to what he guessed was the bedroom, scrambled around for a moment, and then came running back with a large, A2-sized poster and a gold permanent marker in hand, a delighted blush on his cheeks.

“Please,” he repeated, handing Yuuri the marker, “I’ll sign your favorite in turn, I promise.”

“…o-okay…” Yuuri agreed as the Top Coordinator placed the poster on the closest table so he could sign it. He stared, stilling mid-motion. “…this is your favorite?”

“If I had to choose only one, then yes.” Viktor replied decisively, then hesitated, worrying his bottom lip. “…you don’t like it?”

Yuuri’s cheeks dusted pink, “It’s not that. I’m just… surprised, is all.”

It was one of the posters that had been made right after his first Pokémon League Tournament, the one where he had beaten Alder. He was posing with Haxorus, sitting in his Pokémon’s lap and looking up at the dragon with a small smile on his face as Haxorus looked right back at him. It was a simple composition and an overall simple image. The pose had felt natural, and unlike many of the posters that had been made of him and his team (with backgrounds and added effects so over the top they made him cringe internally), the one Viktor had chosen was very… organic.

Yuuri placed his signature on the dark background, right beside Haxorus’ leg. As he withdrew his hand, he paused.

“Why this one?” he couldn’t help but ask. Viktor hummed, thoughtful.

“It’s… natural. It _feels_ natural. And maybe… well, Haxorus, or Axew, was your first Pokémon, right? There’s a connection between you in this picture that feels strong. I guess that’s why I like it so much.”

Yuuri nodded slowly, capping the marker and handing it back to Viktor as he straightened up again.

“…it’s one of my favorites, too.” He revealed with a small smile. Viktor smiled back. Yuuri’s heart was doing a Z-dance in his chest entirely without his consent.

“Take yours with you on Saturday so I can return the favor.” He told him. Yuuri nodded.

“I’ll do that.” He blushed faintly. “Saturday, then.”

Viktor worried his bottom lip, fidgeting with the marker in his hand as if he wanted to say, or do, something else, but settled for smiling brightly, eyes shimmering enticingly.

“Saturday.”

 

**

 

“ _Whoa, Yuuri, what’s the matter?_ ” Phichit’s concerned face appeared on the small screen of the Xtransceiver, “ _You look like you’ve seen Darkrai! Slow down for a minu-, are you_ flying?! _Get down on the ground this instant, Katsuki!”_

“Phichit,” Yuuri almost whispered into the device, not giving the order any thought as he hadn’t registered it in the first place, “are you anywhere near Lilycove at the moment?”

“ _I’m on Route 120 towards Lilycove, Yuuri,_ get down on the ground!”

“Oh, right…” he complied, Salamence landing smoothly on the beach where he usually took off towards the League in the mornings, “…I need to talk to you.”

“ _What’s going on? You’re scaring me._ ”

“I-it’s nothing like that!” Yuuri assured him frantically, “But you’re never going to believe what happened today.”

“ _Spill it; you’re killing me!_ ”

Yuuri paused, “I met him.” Phichit stilled in turn, jaw dropping.

“ _…no way. How was he? Come on, talk to me!_ ”

Yuuri swallowed, taking a deep breath.

“…he’s beautiful.”

 

**

 

“ _Viktor? What in the Distortion World-!_ ”

“You’re never going to believe me, Chris…!”

“ _It’s_ midnight _in Kalos, Viktor; I need my beauty sleep._ ”

“But I met him, Chris, don’t you understand? I met him!”

Silence.

“ _Talk. Now._ ”

Viktor inhaled deeply.

“He’s perfect. No, actually, he’s beyond perfect, and I need you to order me a tombstone right this instant, because he’s going to kill me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just as dead as Viktor after this. My friend reading this on my couch hasn't stopped laughing yet, though... then again, I'm not sure if she's laughing at the text anymore or just at my face. Probably the latter, to be honest.
> 
> Looks like I'll be able to have the next one up tomorrow again, unless anything unexpected happens. In that case, chapter 16 will be up on Monday.
> 
> I can never thank you enough for all love and support <3 but I can give hugs! ^.^


	16. Saturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor does think some of Yuuri's dragons are (a little) intimidating.  
> Also, the dinner is definitely not a date.

“What do I do, Katya?” Viktor worried to his oldest companion, frantically throwing clothes out of the walk-in closet and into the bedroom, aiming for the bed and mostly missing, “What seems like casual training clothes that still make me look good? No, not those sweatpants, I have nothing that goes with them…”

“Eon!” Katya complained as another shirt landed on her head, shrugging it off and glaring at her trainer’s back.

“Don’t give me that look, traitor.” He warned her without turning around, feeling her piercing gaze at the back of his neck. “You just want me to put on ugly clothes so you can have Yuuri’s attention all to yourself.” He sighed, straightening up and exiting the closet to locate his Xtransceiver. “I’d better call Chris…”

 

**

 

“Yuuri,” Phichit sighed, shaking his head in disapproval, “not that shirt.”

“Huh?” Yuuri blinked in confusion, “What’s wrong with my shirt?”

“It’s too worn and baggy!” the Alolan stated firmly, already rummaging through the dressers on a mission to locate another shirt, “And your pants are no good, either. You have a nice figure, dragon boy, show it off.” He turned his head to wink at a bright red Dragon Master over his shoulder. “I _bet_ he wouldn’t complain.”

“…there’s nothing wrong with my shirt.” Yuuri mumbled under his breath, but involuntarily gave himself a once-over in the mirror anyway. “Or with my pants.”

“Yes, there is.” Phichit told him stubbornly, pulling out a pair of black training pants and a long-sleeved, indigo training shirt that was considerably less baggy than the one Yuuri was wearing presently. “There you go, and then the vest to keep treats at hand, and the PokéBall-belt. And don’t forget your gloves.”

Yuuri understood he had been on the losing side from the beginning. He sighed in defeat.

“Yes, mum.”

 

**

 

“ _What about the magenta-colored training outfit, then?_ ” Chris tried reasoning with a highly distressed Top Coordinator, “ _And one of your ice-blue shirts to go with it?_ ”

“Maybe…” Viktor agreed a little hesitantly, even though he had already pulled the pants of said training outfit on. Chris sighed in exasperation.

“ _Just put it on, d’accord? According to you, the Dragon Master of your sweetest dreams called you all kinds of nice things when you met him; he’s going to like whatever you decide to wear._ ”

“You think so?” Viktor still worried, pulling on one of his pale, icy-blue training shirts anyway while trying to find the matching PokéBall-belt somewhere on his floor.

“ _Yes._ ” Chris replied easily. “ _I mean, I’m sure you’re going to drool all over him whether he shows up clad only in leather or in grandma’s curtains, so why wouldn’t he do the same?_ ”

Viktor immediately tried imagining anything _but_ Yuuri Katsuki dressed only in leather. Like cute little Skitties. Or terribly unattractive Garbodors.

“That’s something I’d probably do, yes, but do you really think-“

“ _Just put that jacket and PokéBall-belt on, Nikiforov, or you’re going to be late!_ ”

 

**

 

Yuuri let Altaria out to accompany him as he headed over to the reception at the West Lilycove Training Center to get the keys to the outdoor, walled training court he had managed to book. The receptionist seemed to recognize him, and he sported a pink blush as he asked the Dragon Master to pay and sign the receipt before he handed him the keys.

“Training court three.” He informed Yuuri. “For the whole day, as long as you like.”

“Thank you.” Yuuri nodded, accepting the set of keys. “Someone will be joining me shortly; he has silver hair and most likely a Glaceon with him. Just let him pass, all right?”

The puzzle pieces visibly tried finding their correct places in the receptionist’s brain, and once they did, he made a small “oh”-sound, then nodded in turn.

“Of course.” He replied. The squeak in his voice went unnoticed by Yuuri, who merely smiled slightly.

“Thank you again, then.”

Leaving a slightly flustered receptionist behind, Yuuri headed directly to training court three, leaving the door unlocked for the time being. He let all of his companions out for warm-up while he sent Viktor a message to tell him where exactly they would be training.

That reminded him…

He placed his thumb and index finger in his mouth and whistled once, a short and sharp command that immediately gained the attention of his whole team.

“We’re going to have company soon.” He told them, confident that at least Altaria, Dragonite and Haxorus would understand. “They’re no threats, all right? No threats. Be nice.”

He could always hope on Salamence and Hydreigon’s part… right?

 

**

 

**Yuuri:** We’re in outdoor training court 3. The receptionist knows to let you pass, so just come straight here. It’s unlocked.

 

Katya jumped up on Viktor’s shoulder in one movement, scanning her new surroundings as they entered the West Lilycove Training Center. Viktor proceeded to walk right past the reception, a teenage boy behind the counter simply waving at him in recognition when he spotted the Top Coordinator. Viktor flashed him a dazzling smile in turn and waved back before exiting the building to the outdoor training area.

A large, red, plastic number three was displayed above the door to the court Viktor was looking for. He bit his bottom lip slightly, a nervous knot forming in the pit of his stomach.

He was going to train with Yuuri.

Meaning he was going to train with Yuuri’s dragons.

Lapras was the largest Pokémon Viktor had, and she was a little smaller than an average Lapras; only reaching just above two meters and not two and a half.

Salamence, Dragonite and Haxorus were _definitely_ bigger than that.

Viktor had to take a few deep breaths before steeling himself and reaching for the handle, opening the door and entering the training court. He stopped a few steps in, heart hammering against his ribcage.

Five majestic dragons were flying in what appeared to be controlled warm-up routines, while Haxorus, who lacked wings, was warming up on the ground instead, looking no less majestic than his teammates as he made his way around the court at high speed, as if dodging imaginary attacks. Everything looked like it had been choreographed. No one collided with anyone else, despite flying very close to each other at times, and everything seemed to be working like a well-oiled machine rather than anything else.

Viktor’s eyes then fell on the dragons’ trainer, standing to the side and observing the warm-up closely, and he suddenly forgot how his lungs worked.

Unlike during battles and in most posters, Yuuri’s hair wasn’t slicked back, and he wasn’t wearing contacts. Instead, black strands of soft hair moved slightly in the wind from the dragons’ wings, and a pair of blue-rimmed glasses rested on his nose. Viktor hadn’t seen him use glasses on television since his very first Pokémon League Tournament.

And dressed in tight, probably fire-proof training clothes, fingerless gloves and a training vest…

_Gulp_.

…his thighs were downright sinful. Years of clinging onto the backs of flying dragons probably had something to do with them looking like… _that_.

And that was when the Dragon Master decided to turn around, spotting Viktor, who automatically smiled and a waved as he finally approached.

“Hi!” he greeted cheerfully, trying to momentarily ignore the feeling of six large dragons currently judging him (probably), “Sorry to keep you waiting!”

He was five minutes early.

Yuuri smiled back shyly and shook his head.

“You’re not late.” He protested. “I just wanted to get here early to let my team do some warm-ups and let out some of that morning energy before you arrived, you know…” he gave Viktor a sheepish smile, “…make them a little less edgy before introducing new acquaintances.”

Viktor’s heart pounded fiercely in his chest as the knot in his stomach tightened at the thought of being introduced to Yuuri’s enormous Salamence, but he found himself nodding in understanding anyway.

“Of course. Should I wait to let my team out?”

“Keep only Katya out for now.” Yuuri agreed. “They’d better meet you first before meeting the rest of your team. I’ll call them over one at a time, all right? Meeting all of them at once can be a little overwhelming, especially if you’re not used to dragons.”

Viktor inwardly let out a sigh of relief. Outwardly, he did the exact opposite, inhaling deeply as he nodded.

“One at a time sounds good.”

Yuuri hummed, then turned back to his still rapidly moving dragons, looking thoughtful for a moment before deciding:

“Altaria! Come down, darling!”

Altaria’s cottony wings shimmered as if adorned by crystals in the sunlight as she spiraled downwards in a controlled manner, landing smoothly beside her trainer, accepting the treat he offered her. She cooed in appreciation, then tilted her head to inspect Viktor and Katya curiously.

“Nothing to be afraid of here; she’s very affectionate.” Yuuri assured Viktor as Altaria lowered her head slightly to look at them. “This is Viktor and Katya,” he then told his Pokémon, stroking her neck soothingly, “say hello.”

Altaria was, to Viktor’s immense relief, easy to get along with. She let Katya give her a cold, experimental kiss on the cheek, and she allowed Viktor to pet her almost immediately, leaning into his touch as she started humming in her soprano voice, the sound vibrating pleasantly through Viktor’s whole body as he felt himself relax.

If that had been Yuuri’s intention, he was even more of a genius than Viktor could have ever guessed, and he already thought the Dragon Master was brilliant.

Dragonite was much bigger than Altaria, but she was very gentle and opted to sit down on the ground and allow Katya to climb up into her palm to bring them to eye-level with one another. Viktor took it as a major win that he was allowed to sit on Dragonite’s leg to give her an appreciated belly-rub.

“Haxorus; come here, boy!” Yuuri called out next, and the only dragon on the ground quickly made a one-eighty turn and made his way over to them instead, stopping beside Yuuri, who immediately distracted him by tossing a PokéPuff in the air for him to catch.

Haxorus was more friendly than what Viktor maybe would have thought, as he had always found the terrifying tusks highly intimidating, but after the dragon had been allowed to sniff Viktor’s hand (that he somehow managed to keep steady), he had sat down on the ground, leaving Yuuri between his legs as he leaned over his trainer to allow Katya onto his long, armored neck. Viktor wasn’t allowed to sit in Haxorus’ lap, but then again, Yuuri explained that not even Phichit had been allowed to do so. He, Viktor, was however allowed to come over and pat his chin, carefully avoiding the scythe-like razors.

Flygon apparently looked to Haxorus’ judgement the most, just like Yuuri had suggested back when they had had tea at Viktor’s place, meaning that the meeting the fourth dragon also went (relatively) well for Viktor. The Desert Spirit immediately curled his long tail around his trainer, but didn’t hesitate or protest when greeting Katya and Viktor, letting the coordinator pat his neck.

Then it turned a bit trickier.

“Hydreigon!” Yuuri clicked his tongue sharp and loud so the blind dragon could locate him, “And Altaria, again, please come here!”

Viktor was eternally grateful Yuuri had asked Altaria to accompany Hydreigon, because the part dark-type growled with all three heads the moment he landed beside his trainer, the middle-head continuing to growl as the two others started hissing instead. Yuuri calmly, but sharply, clicked with his tongue again as Altaria landed beside Hydreigon, and the dragon immediately stopped with its hostile noises, but still sniffed the air tensely, telling Viktor he knew _exactly_ where the coordinator was.

“This is Viktor and Katya, Hydreigon,” Yuuri told him firmly, petting the black fur around the middle-head’s neck, “they’re friends, not a threat, understood? Not a threat.” As Hydreigon didn’t growl in response, Yuuri rewarded him with a PokéPuff for each head, patting his middle neck. “Good boy.” He turned to Viktor. “Let him sniff your hand. Your scent is on all your Pokémon; if he recognizes it, he will understand it’s not a threat.”

Viktor did as he was asked, albeit nervously, as the blind dragon sniffed his hand suspiciously, but didn’t either growl or hiss, merely huff as he withdrew.

“Dreigon!” Yuuri merely smiled, completely unfazed.

“I love you, Hydreigon.” He assured his companion, handing him another three PokéPuffs for good behavior. “You did well. Do another warm-up lap round with Altaria, all right?”

As the two dragons were sent on their way, the meeting Viktor definitely had dreaded the most was inevitably next. Yuuri must have noticed his paling cheeks, because his smile turned ever so slightly smug.

“Just don’t back down, all right?” he told the coordinator, somewhat amused, “He’s going to measure you; he does that with every new person I introduce him to. Sure, he’s a bit large and he can be a little intimidating…”

“A little?” Viktor squeaked, following the largest dragon up in the air with his eyes.

“Well, all right, I suppose he’s intimidating.” Yuuri relented, scratching his neck. “But he never attacks without a command from me, so you’re completely safe.” He smiled sheepishly. “I supposed you’ll just have to take my word for it.”

_Do you trust me?_

Viktor swallowed, but nodded.

_I do_.

“Salamence! Come here!”

The enormous dragon did a backwards loop in the air and landed by Yuuri’s side only seconds later, the breeze from his wings catching Viktor’s ponytail and Katya’s ears, making them flail. A deep, rumbling growl rose from somewhere deep within the dragon’s belly as he towered over them, clearly protecting his trainer from the unknown intruders by lowering his wings, leaving Yuuri neatly shielded by the left one.

“Shh, Salamence,” the Dragon Master soothed, patting the dragon’s shoulder to gain its attention, even though the Pokémon was still glaring intimidatingly at Viktor, “Viktor and Katya are friends, not threats. No growling.” Salamence immediately stopped rumbling. “Good boy.” He was rewarded with a PokéPuff.

“Just hold out your hand for him to get to know your scent.” Yuuri told Viktor as he managed to free himself from the dragon’s crimson wing. “I swear he won’t set it on fire; he only does that to his breakfast sometimes while he’s sleepy and I brush his neck.”

Viktor let out a nervous laugh, “Okay.”

Salamence warily sniffed Viktor’s hand, huffing just like Hydreigon had done, but did indeed not set it on fire.

“Down, Salamence.” Yuuri commanded his largest team member, who obediently lowered himself to the ground fully, from tail to chin. “Let Katya approach now.”

Salamence eyed the Glaceon with narrowed eyes, but didn’t move as she hesitantly approached to sniff the much larger Pokémon. To Viktor’s enormous relief, he even let her poke him warily with her cold nose. Perhaps the size difference made him a little more forgiving.

Viktor himself was only allowed to approach Salamence when Yuuri was enveloped in a crimson wing once again.

“I think he’s trying to tell me something.” Viktor told Yuuri once he actually had been given permission to pat the dragon’s shoulder.

“He’s always like this.” Yuuri replied sheepishly. “We were in Unova when he evolved, and when we went to visit the so called Unova dragon family and I greeted Iris, he started growling furiously at her. Luckily, she’s accustomed to dragons, so she just rolled her eyes at him.”

Once he had managed to free himself from Salamence’s wing, Yuuri threw the dragon a PokéPuff as a distraction before turning to Viktor again.

“I’ll call them all here now, so we can get going. Let your team out; it’s okay now that they have all met you… and Katya, of course. There’s a pool for Lapras over there.” He pointed to a standard sized waiting pool in the corner. Viktor nodded.

“Okay.” He agreed. “And what are we doing today?”

Yuuri worried his bottom lip slightly, then smiled sheepishly again.

“Battling 101.”

Viktor let out a laugh, “Yeah, I’m going to need that.”

 

As it turned out, Battling 101 with Yuuri Katsuki was nothing like Battling 101 with his father, Wallace, or even Yakov. Yuuri had an entirely different way of _thinking_ altogether, and even though it seemed like he was going to take a similar approach to it as Viktor’s former mentors, that wasn’t the case at all.

“Let’s assume for a moment you’re going up against Altaria here with Ninetales.” Yuuri suggested, stroking Altaria’s slender neck as he spoke. “How do you start strategizing for that battle?”

“Find out the base stats for the average Altaria and check what moves they’re able to learn.” Viktor replied automatically, his father’s words echoing in his head.

“And after that?”

“I try to figure out Altaria’s weaknesses and how to use them to my advantage.” He answered on autopilot, straight out of the book.

But Yuuri didn’t go by any book.

“No.”

Viktor blinked, “…no?”

“To be honest, I don’t understand why they still teach this at trainer schools.” Yuuri sighed, running a hand through his hair. “To be honest, step number two and three, attack and defense, seem like they could be placed in any order, by defense should _really_ come first. You should always make sure you have the means to defend yourself for what is to come before even thinking about the offense.”

“So defense second, offense third?”

“No.” Yuuri replied again. “Speed comes third, as your defense methods depend a lot on how fast your Pokémon is compared to the opponent. If you’re slow, you need to be sturdier, and if you’re quick, you need to work on stamina so they have the strength to keep dodging. After that, you concentrate on attacks and special attacks you can use for defense, like Salamence can use Hydro Pump to counter a Blast Burn, for example, and only when you’ve done all that do you concentrate on the actual offense.

“I mean, sure, Ninetales here could go all out with Blizzard and a Moonblast and hope to hit Altaria, but what if I had taught Altaria Sunny Day and Flamethrower to protect herself from the Blizzard, and then to use Steel Wing and Protect to be able to withstand the Moonblast? Suddenly, you have an arena basking in sunlight, and for an ice-type, that’s certainly not ideal. Altaria could easily take her out with another Flamethrower, followed by a Steel Wing if necessary.”

“How do I do that?” Viktor asked, his voice more pleading than he realized, “How do I even begin to prepare Ninetales for something like that? I mean, Weavile has the Pressure-ability, which usually helps immensely against fire-type moves, and Lapras is part water-type, but with Ninetales, Katya and Froslass…”

Yuuri hummed in understanding.

“Well, since you’re most confident in battle with Weavile and Lapras, let’s keep… Weavile in mind for a moment.” He decided, waving for Haxorus to come over and replace Altaria. “Let’s say Weavile suddenly has to go up against a Haxorus, or another armored Pokémon. Weavile has dangerously sharp claws, but they’re not going to take down Haxorus here; they’ll barely give him a scratch. Come over here, take a good look at him… see the part there, right above his shoulder? It’s partially covered by the armor on his neck, and he’s trained to keep it shielded at all times. If you want to pierce his defense, you have to aim for that spot.”

“And how, if he keeps it shielded?”

Yuuri’s smile turned smug.

“Well, that’s the trick, isn’t it? That’s what you have to figure out.”

 

“One more thing,” Yuuri smiled shyly as he opened a side pocket on his duffel bag (that was filled with all kinds of training equipment Viktor never even knew existed) and pulled out a permanent marker and a neatly folded poster, definitely smaller than the one Viktor had had Yuuri sign, holding the pen out to Viktor, “your turn.”

“You remembered!” Viktor beamed, accepting the marker. Yuuri worried his bottom lip as he delicately unfolded the poster, like he was handling fragile glass, and carefully placed it on the table in the locker room for Viktor to sign.

Viktor felt his jaw slacken, his lips parting more in realization than in surprise.

“This… this is…”

Yuuri sported an adorably bright blush.

“I know.” He replied quietly, voice soft.

“So well preserved.” Viktor murmured in amazement as he tried figuring out the best place to write his signature. “Have you had it…?”

“Framed, yes.” Yuuri admitted, hiding his face in his hands. Viktor involuntarily let out a small laugh.

“Wow.” He breathed, astonished.

It was a poster of Viktor, Katya and Vulpix that had been released during the exhibition months following Viktor’s Normal Rank-season, which he had ended by advancing to the Super Rank. The photoshoot had taken place at Lake Acuity near Snowpoint City, and Viktor remembered it very well.

He had been dressed in his blue-and-silver contest costume he had used for his first Sinnoh Grand Festival, along with a flower crown made of (fake) blue roses, and he had simply been asked to skate around the frozen lake together with his Pokémon. Katya had been gliding beside him, a little in front, and Vulpix had chosen the perfect moment to jump up on Viktor’s shoulder to nudge his cheek with her cold nose, making him laugh at her antics.

The image chosen for the poster had been snapped right at that moment. It was Viktor’s favorite out of all the pictures taken that day.

Hence, he smiled at the memory as he placed his signature in the lower left corner.

“I think I know why this is your favorite.” He admitted.

Yuuri couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s quite obvious, I guess.”

_It’s… natural._

 

**

 

Viktor was completely and utterly drained, but he was still smiling, giddy and warm. In fact, he had never felt happier after a full day of battle training before.

All because of Yuuri.

They hadn’t exactly sparred, as Yuuri’s dragons had more or less acted as moving targets for Viktor’s team, but they easily defended themselves against the less battle-accustomed team and contentedly returned to their PokéBalls after downing bucketsful of Fresh Water and a bowl of PokéBeans each.

By contrast, Katya only managed to eat three PokéBeans before she was completely satisfied.

Viktor sighed, leaning against the tiled bathroom wall as warm water washed the sweat away from his body, thinking back to the training session.

Yuuri had a whole other way of approaching battles than any of Viktor’s mentors had had, and the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Yuuri hadn’t really had a mentor at all before Lance, and by the time the Dragon Master had started mentoring him, Yuuri had already beaten twenty-four gym leaders and the Indigo Elite Four. He had been forced to come up with strategies by observing other trainers battle and by consulting literature, piecing the information together to create a strategy that would work in a variety of situations.

Which was why his battling style could best be described as surprising.

Viktor stepped out of the shower and proceeded to blow-dry his hair, worrying his bottom lip. He was meeting Yuuri at The White Lily in approximately two hours, and he both looked forward to and dreaded it at the same time. Sure, he wanted nothing more than to spend time with Yuuri now that he had finally been given the chance, but…

…he very much wished the dinner tonight was a date.

…which it wasn’t.

Did Yuuri want it to be one?

His heart was already racing on a Rhyhorn in his chest as his mind wandered away to his closet (of which about a third was still lying on the bedroom floor), and then further to the evening…

Viktor mentally Wake-Up Slapped himself.

_It’s not a date!_

 

**

 

Yuuri drew a deep breath as he turned the corner, heading towards The White Lily.  The restaurant where he was supposed to meet Viktor Nikiforov for dinner.

He worried his bottom lip and frantically searched for something to keep his hands occupied with, opting to ball them into fists to steel himself. He imagined Altaria’s gentle humming in his mind, and while it didn’t slow his heartrate down, it still cleared his mind a little, making him feel less hazy.

But then he spotted a cascade of silver hair, and even though he felt his feet keep moving forward, Yuuri stilled inwardly.

He had always thought Viktor to be beautiful, but…

_Breathe!_

…breathtaking. There was no other word to describe him, dressed in a midnight-blue, form-fitting suit that was undoubtedly tailored for him specifically. Underneath, he wore a pale violet dress shirt, adorned with midnight-blue bow tie, and his arrow-straight, silver hair fell down his back like a waterfall, let loose for a change.

Only Viktor Nikiforov could dress up all fancy and still make it look like he wasn’t overdressed, Yuuri thought.

He was suddenly very glad that Phichit had made him wear a pair of black slacks, a red dress shirt and a black blazer, hoping it would suffice. Judging by the bright smile that lit up on the Top Coordinator’s face as he spotted Yuuri, there was nothing wrong with his clothes, and he most likely didn’t have anything on his face, either. Apart from his glasses, of course.

“I didn’t mean to keep you waiting…” Yuuri automatically began to apologize, but Viktor immediately waved it off.

“I just arrived, you’re two minutes early, and besides, you had to wait for me this morning.” He grinned, opening the door for Yuuri. “We’re right on time.”

They were seated by a table in the corner by a curtain-draped window, much to Yuuri’s relief. It felt more secluded there, despite the other guests in the room.

“Would you like a starter drink, gentlemen?” the waitress smiled politely, handing them the menus.

“Just w-,“ Yuuri barely started before the coordinator revealed to have other plans.

“Sparkling Kalosian wine, please!” he smiled bedazzlingly at the young woman, then turned his gaze to Yuuri, “With or without alcohol?”

Yuuri blinked, “Oh, um… I don’t mind either, you choose.”

“Then with.” Viktor decided, thanking the waitress as she disappeared to fetch the ordered sparkling wine. He turned to Yuuri again, tilting his head curiously, “Have you eaten here before?”

Yuuri shook his head, “No. I mostly stuck to smaller, hole-in-the-wall places when I traveled, or then I just bought something for the road and made my own meals. I hadn’t really dined at these kinds of places before I became Lance’s student, to be honest.”

Viktor hummed thoughtfully, “I’ve only traveled around for contests, so I’ve never really been on the road like you have, even though I’ve visited a lot of cities and towns over the years.” He hesitated for a moment. “I’ve always wondered,” he leaned forward a little, eyes sparkling with curiosity, “what was it like, challenging the first gym?”

Inwardly, Yuuri breathed out a sigh of relief.

This, he could manage.

 

They spent most of the dinner trading stories back and forth. Yuuri told Viktor about Axe’s evolution and how he had gotten Bagon, and Viktor told Yuuri about the day his father returned from Alola with a Vulpix in tow. Yuuri reminisced how Swablu had invited herself to

join his team, and Viktor recalled how Snorunt and Sneasel had essentially done the same.

When Yuuri told him how Deino came to land in his care, the coordinator fought back tears.

“Who would… who _could_ do something like that?”

Yuuri shook his head sadly, “He still refuses to leave Altaria’s side whenever we visit Opelucid City and its surroundings.”

Viktor then told Yuuri about the evening he and his father had found the injured Eevee in the snow and how the evolution to an ice-type had been the only solution available for them. Yuuri’s eyes widened.

“How did an Eevee end up in northern Sinnoh like that?” he wondered. Viktor shrugged, clueless.

“There had been a snowstorm raging for several days before that. We usually take a different route to and from the lake, so we found her on our way back home. The most logical explanation is that she had gotten separated from her trainer… But in the end, we’ll never really know, I suppose.”

When Yuuri brought up the story of what became of the Goomy Deino had bitten, Viktor let out that tingling laugh that sent Yuuri’s heart Spoink-ing around in his chest.

“Does your sister still talk to you?” he grinned. Yuuri laughed in turn.

“She might stop talking to me once Goomy evolves into Sliggoo… and Goodra.” He admitted. “Goodras are very affectionate towards their trainers, and have a habit of hugging them. She’s going to need more than ridiculous amounts of hand soap when that happens.”

Yuuri silently thanked Mari’s inevitable, gooey doom for bringing out that silver-bell laughter from the coordinator all over again.

 

“When I lost to Fantina the first time…” Viktor sighed, gazing out over the darkening waters stretching out before them, lit up only by the moon, the stars, and the Lilycove Lighthouse, “…I was so frustrated and angry with myself. I felt I had let my team down, and that felt _wrong_ , because they’re amazing, and just because I couldn’t wrap my head around battling…” he shook his head.

“Yakov tried Hammer Arming sense into me afterwards, like he always did, but I fell into a slump. I know it sounds stupid, but it was the first time I lost at the Sinnoh Grand Festival, you know? I made it fine the three previous seasons but…” he chuckled slightly, “…I just couldn’t manage that final step. Not until my fifth try.”

Yuuri nodded silently in understanding.

“I…” he sighed heavily in turn, “…during my second Pokémon League Tournament, it felt like I achieved nothing. Like I had been swimming around in circles for a year in preparation only to find out there was no shore for me to crawl up on at the end. I had managed to beat Alder the year before, but the following year, I couldn’t beat a single one of the champions. When I went up against Cynthia, who was last in line that year…” he swallowed, “…I had given up on myself entirely. I kept going for my team’s sake, but I just… I went into that battle knowing we had no way of beating Garchomp yet.” He let out a small, sad chuckle.

“If it weren’t for my team members being as stubborn as they are, especially Salamence, I might have just packed up and headed home. And Lance… he pulled me back up and made me keep on training while still stepping to the side for a while to let me get back on track.” He paused. “I owe him a lot. I could never have done anything like this without his guidance.”

A small smile crept to Viktor’s lips.

“And then you went ahead and defeated four champions in the span of three Tournaments.” Yuuri returned the smile.

“My dragons are stubborn like that.” He replied. “Once we’ve started something, they won’t let me back down. Haxorus and Salamence, or Fraxure and Bagon I guess, they’ve kept me going since the beginning.”

Viktor nodded, worrying his bottom lip, “I’ve often asked my team ‘we can do this, can’t we?’, as much to reassure them as myself that we can take on and face new challenges. their answer hasn’t changed even once.”

Yuuri smiled, “Because they know.”

 

“I would really like to train with you again, if you have the time.” Viktor told Yuuri as they stopped beside the staircase leading up to Yuuri’s apartment. “If you want to, of course; you don’t have to.”

Yuuri shook his head, “N-no, I’d like to.” He assured. “But I have to fly Phichit over to Mossdeep tomorrow for his next gym challenge, and I’ll probably stay there the whole day, because I promised to spar with Steven, so…” he trailed off, worrying his bottom lip, “…maybe next Saturday again?”

Viktor was suddenly hit hard with the realization that he would have to go a whole week without seeing Yuuri. Their schedules, as of now, were too different for them to manage to meet up during the week, and with Yuuri out of time the following day…

“Next Saturday it is, then!” he quickly agreed, attempting to bury his disappointment over not being able to meet up sooner somewhere in the deepest, darkest parts of his mind, “Same place?”

Yuuri hummed thoughtfully, “I’ll get back to you on that. If I manage to get a suitable court, we can go there, otherwise I’ll figure something out. But Saturday it is then.”

“Great!” Viktor beamed, paused, and then blushed, “…thank you. For training with me… or I suppose you’re actually training _me_ and not _with_ me, but…”

“I-I’m glad if I can… help.” Yuuri replied sheepishly. “Um… thank you for dinner.”

“That was the least I could do.”

Yuuri let out a small breath, then nodded, “O-okay, then… see you on Saturday.”

Viktor inhaled deeply, steeling himself. Then, he let all thoughts fly out the window and took a step forward, flinging his arms around the stunned Dragon Master’s neck, embracing him tightly. He felt strong muscles tense under the fabric and then gradually relax. To his enormous relief, a pair of wary, hesitant arms shyly wrapped around him in turn, lightly resting on his shoulder blades.

Despite the muscles, Yuuri was just as soft as Viktor had imagined, if not even more so. He smelled of rain and sandalwood, natural and honest inside out.

…no wonder he was a Pokémon magnet.

“Good night.” He murmured close to Yuuri’s ear, not really knowing what else to say, because how was he going to explain to Yuuri that he wanted to keep hugging him forever, especially since they had only just met?

“Good night.” Yuuri murmured back, breathless.

Viktor didn’t leave until the door closed behind the Dragon Master, who sent him a shy smile, cheeks flushed Cherubi-red as he waved before disappearing inside.

And even though Viktor’s heart felt heavy at the thought of having to endure a _week_ before seeing Yuuri again, he still walked home on clouds.

 

**

 

“Well?” Phichit inquired as Yuuri entered the kitchen-and-living-room area, slumping down on the couch and immediately curling in on himself, head buried in his knees, “How was the date?”

Yuuri’s head immediately snapped up again as he gaped at his friend like a confused Magikarp.

“D-date?” he squeaked quietly, “I-it wasn’t a date!”

Phichit rolled his eyes, “Sure, it wasn’t. Did he pay for the food?”

“Yes, because I trained with him earlier toda-,“

“Did you have a good time?”

“It was nice, yes…”

“Did he walk you home?”

“We went for a walk along the beach and he stopped by here on the way back to his apartment.”

“You went for _a midnight walk_ along the _beach_.” Phichit clarified both to himself and his oblivious friend. “You definitely were on a date.”

“But-,”

“What did he do to make you curl up like that?” Yuuri blushed brighter than an overheating Charmeleon and mumbled something inaudible into his knees. Phichit cocked an eyebrow. “Yuuuriiii…!”

“Hehuggedme.”

Once Phichit had managed to translate from EmbarrassedYuuri to a common language, a mischievous grin that could rival that of a troublemaking Gengar spread on his face, eyes twinkling.

“Aww, Yuuri!” he cooed sweetly, “Are you going to see him again soon?”

Phichit interpreted the muffled reply as “next Saturday”, and his grin grew impossibly wider.

“Does this mean I can finally start writing my best-man speech?”

“ _Phichit!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting tomorrow, I'll actually be working for three months (at a work place that somehow fits both my former degree and my current studies perfectly, which is quite awesome), so there's going to be a few days between the updates from now on. I think I'll be able to upload the next one on Wednesday, but that depends entirely on whether I will be able to get my research plan for my next degree done by tomorrow evening after work or not. I would have written it today, but I need to call and talk to a person that for some odd reason doesn't work on Sundays before I can finish it off... oh, well, I got this chapter edited instead.
> 
> I'll be replying to comments again soon; I already replied to those with questions :)  
> Have a nice week! Many hugs! <3


	17. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor has made many decisions recently.  
> Yuuri, on the other hand, has decisions made for him... and makes some of his own, too.

”Any last-minute advice for me?” Phichit inquired as he slid down from Dragonite’s back from behind Yuuri, his feet landing in the soft sand of the beach just outside Mossdeep City. Yuuri let out a small chuckle as he followed suit.

“Liza and Tate use psychic-types, as you already know.” He shrugged, rewarding the dragon with pats and PokéPuffs before recalling her back into her ball. “You should come a long way with Scizor and Togedemaru, if you play your cards right.”

“They’re going to be prepared at least for Scizor’s bug-type moves, though.” Phichit pondered as they ascended the stairs to the city. “Maybe I should send out Lucario as a distraction; he knows both Dark Pulse and Shadow Claw.”

“That might work.” Yuuri agreed. “Just not against Claydol.”

“Yeah, no, I don’t think Lucario’s ready to deal with an Earthquake or five.” The Alolan agreed. “But Scizor can fly, luckily. And Skarmory can, too.”

“In other words: you’ll do fine.” Yuuri encouraged him with a small smile. “And if not the first time around, you can just try again.”

“As many times as it takes.” Phichit declared decisively, Togedemaru crossing his arms as well to underline his trainer’s statement. “Well, seeing as we have reached the crossroad where I go right and you go left, I’ll see you later, Feraligatr!”

Yuuri sighed heavily, even though he smiled as he shook his head. Phichit _really_ needed to stop using that silly phrase he had picked up in Johto, but as the Alolan found it both funny and terrible at the same time, he probably wasn’t going to give up on it anytime soon.

Unfortunately.

Yuuri opted for simply giving him a pat on the shoulder, “Good luck.”

 

“Thank you,” Steven told the Dragon Master, handing him a cool bottle of Lemonade, “for taking the time to spar on a day off.”

Yuuri accepted the offered drink gratefully, uncapping it, “It was nothing; it’s good for us, too. They need a daily energy outlet, or else I’d never be able to keep them in check.”

Steven hummed in understanding, “Speaking of daily energy outlets; Phoebe mentioned you didn’t show up at the League on Thursday, even though you had planned on doing so despite the meeting.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Did something happen?”

Yuuri suddenly found his bottle of Lemonade exceedingly interesting.

“…something came up.” He settled for replying as a vague enough answer, taking a large gulp of the cool liquid, trying to swallow the blush creeping to his cheeks simultaneously. “I had planned to fly over to train but… plans changed last minute.”

Steven looked curious, but let it slide anyway.

“That happens at times, of course.” He nodded, then mercifully changed the subject. “Are you planning on attending the Pokémon League Tournament this year even though you’re not competing, by the way? The Hoenn League would pay a couple of tickets for you.”

“Drake mentioned that.” Yuuri remembered. “I’d like to attend as a spectator, yes. The League is closed during the Tournament anyway… and my friend is entering it for the first time.”

“Phichit?” Steven guessed, well aware of Yuuri’s Alolan friend. Yuuri nodded in confirmation, and Steven smiled, “With the progress he’s making now, he’ll do well in the Tournament. I suppose he’ll be challenging us at the Hoenn League soon, too, since he’s here in Mossdeep now.”

“He’ll be at the League in a couple of weeks or so, maybe sooner.” Yuuri replied with a smile of his own, confident in his friend.

He glanced over at his dragons, most of which were lounging around on the grass, taking it easy. _Most_ being the keyword. Flygon apparently had too much adrenaline pumping in his system to settle down, flying around restlessly, his wings making that distinct singing sound the Desert Spirit was known for. Watching the display, Yuuri sighed, but grinned nevertheless.

“Care to go another round?”

Steven chuckled, looking over at his team members, “Well, Skarmory and Armaldo seem to be itchy enough. Are you up for two-on-one?”

Yuuri laughed, “I don’t think Flygon will complain.”

 

“Nope!” Phichit chirped as he joined Yuuri by the table, having handed his PokéBalls over to the PokéCenter nurse, “Solrock took down Scizor with a Flamethrower to the face, and I swear that Claydol is Giratina in disguise. It’s pure _evil_ ; it took down half my team!”

“Togedemaru included, I gather.” Yuuri guessed, giving his friend a sympathetic smile as he handed him a sandwich he had bought earlier.” The Alolan accepted it gratefully, nodding in confirmation.

“Yeah. It took out Sandslash with Earthquake, and then Mawile fell victim for a Mud-Slap and Earth Power combo. I sent out Togedemaru and attempted to use Grass Knot, as it’s quite a heavy thing; you know, it weighs about as much as your Salamence. But no, it used Teleport and took Togedemaru down with another Earth Power.” Phichit swallowed a piece of his sandwich and sighed.

“Lucario took out Claydol with a Dark Pulse, but then Slowking took out Lucario in turn, Scizor took down Slowking. Then they sent out Xatu, so I switched to Skarmory, but Xatu’s Thunder Wave hit and took her down with some killer ghost-type moves. Scizor pulled through with Night Slash, and Lunatone went down with a Fury Cutter and Night Slash combination, but…” he smiled sheepishly scratching his neck, “…that Flamethrower to the face from Solrock was instant knock-out. It could probably take down my entire team.”

“Only if you let it.” Yuuri pointed out, finishing off his own sandwich. “Scizor _does_ know Rain Dance.”

“Solrock countered with Sunny Day,” Phichit explained, “And then I used Steel Wing while I thought it was distracted, but it just dodged it altogether and breathed fire in Scizor’s face.”

“So you need to attack from behind.” Yuuri reasoned stubbornly, adamant on finding a possible solution. “Use Silver Wind.”

Phichit stopped chewing and looked up at him, confusion written all over his features.

“Not everyone is a battling genius, Katsuki, Explain yourself.”

“As a distraction.” Yuuri clarified, even though his cheeks were burning Magcargo-levels of hot. “And I’m not a genius. Anyway,” he quickly continued as Phichit looked like he was going to object, “use Rain Dance, which Solrock counters with Sunny Day to even the odds. They will think you’re going to attack close range, so you use Silver Wind to keep your distance and avoid the inevitable Flamethrower. Let Scizor loop behind Solrock while it’s mid-attack, then use X-Scissor. It’s a safer bet than Steel Wing, because even though it’s slightly slower in execution, it should be enough to take Solrock out, especially if Silver Wind hits.”

Phichit blinked, steel-grey eyes wide. Then, he ‘fainted’ over the table with a groan.

“Yuuri Katsuki, I could never do this without you. Do you think Top Coordinator Nikiforov would strangle me in my sleep if I asked for your hand in marriage?”

“Phichit!” Yuuri squeaked, a bright red blush spreading up to his ears like a Flame Burst. A Gengarly grin spread on the Alolan’s features.

“Don’t worry, honey,” he cooed soothingly, his voice contrasting the mischievous expression completely, “I can’t marry you. I need to deliver the best best-man speech ever, I wrote it in my sleep last night!” he cleared his throat theatrically, “ _Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today to witness the Arceusly holy union of the Ice Prince and the Dragon Master…_ ”

“ _Stop!_ ”

Yuuri’s face was flaming hotter than the tip of Charizard’s tail as he tried to hide his face in his hands like a Clamperl in its shell, horribly embarrassed. Phichit was unable to deliver the rest of the speech due to death by laughter. The chance to tease the easily flustered Dragon Master was only too precious to pass up on.

**

“You’re on the right track,” Viktor told his student truthfully as the Super Rank-coordinator turned to him for feedback, cradling his Bellossom to his chest, “but you need to be more patient with the composition of your routine. Just now, Bellossom had so many different moves going on at the same time; there was an all too long span of time when I couldn’t see her at all, and that’s something that will bring your score down low. Always make sure the spotlight highlights her, not drowns her.”

The coordinator worried the inside of his cheek, frowning in thought.

“…so, I need to wait longer between the commands?”

“That would be a good start.” Viktro agreed with an encouraging smile. “And try thinking through whether you need to use all her bravado moves in one program. If you want to keep surprising and amazing the audience, then don’t spoil them all by placing them in a single program. Go for a steadier build-up, and then use either Petal Blizzard _or_ Energy Ball towards the end, but not both. It gives more room for creativity in future routines.”

The younger coordinator regarded his Pokémon for a moment.

“…I’ll keep the Energy Ball.” He decided. “She’s known that move longer, and can control it better.”

Viktor nodded approvingly, “A good and reasonable choice. Okay, go from the top again, and count to at least ten between commands; wait for her to finish one part before moving onto the next.”

“All right,” the coordinator sighed, but smiled anyway when he placed Bellossom down on the floor of the indoor training court, “one more time sweetie.”

 

“I haven’t seen him for two days!”

“ _Only five to go, then._ ”

“I won’t survive this.” Viktor lamented heart-brokenly, lying down on the couch and accepting Katya on top of him, scratching her back. “I miss him too much.”

“ _You’ve barely spent a couple of days with him_.”

“Exactly! Not enough!” Viktor grumbled, looking away from his Xtransceiver for a moment to lock gazes with Katya, who seemed to know exactly what he was complaining about, “Katya agrees with me, don’t you, sweetheart?” the Glaceon mewled in response, “See? She agrees with me.”

Chris sighed, but he was grinning as he shook his head.

“ _You’re utterly and completely hopeless, mon chéri. Why not just send him a message, ask how he’s doing? You should, since you don’t seem to function properly without him breathing in your general direction anymore._ ”

“I’m hitting you so hard with an imaginary pillow right now.” Viktor retorted to the last comment, but paused to think over the proposition nevertheless. “…can I do that? Just send him a message?”

“ _You’re asking_ me? _Just do it!_ ”

“What if he doesn’t reply?”

“ _For him_ not _to reply, you would have to write something highly inappropriate and offensive, which I would advise you strongly not to do._ ” Chris stated clearly. “ _What’s wrong with a simple ‘hi, how are you, I’m dying without you, please come over and provide air for my depraved lungs.’_ ”

“I’m going to ignore that last part.” Viktor decided, even though he found he really wouldn’t mind it happening. At all. “Fine, I’ll send him a message. And on that note, how’s it going with that photographer you mentioned last time?”

As he and Chris finally ended their call an hour later, Katya had already retreated to her ice-cooler and it was dark outside. Viktor sat up on the couch and removed the Xtransceiver from his wrist, poking the envelope-icon to send a message. He chose Yuuri’s contact from the list…

…and paused.

_What do I write?_

He worried his bottom lip, furrowing his brows as he typed: _Hi! <3_

…that wasn’t much of a message, was it? There needed to be more than just a greeting; it needed to be more substantial. And the heart was probably too much. Probably.

It took Viktor a good half hour to compose a message, and he read it over and over again several times to make sure there weren’t any mistakes and that it shouldn’t be possible to misinterpret. His finger hovered above the Send-button as he attempted to swallow down his hesitation. Then, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and pressed the icon on the screen before he could change his mind altogether.

He immediately bit down on his bottom lip and cradled the Xtransceiver to his chest.

Now, he could only wait, and that was the hardest part of it all.

**

Yuuri called all his dragons back into their PokéBalls for the night, and ascended the stairs up to his apartment. They had been lounging around outside longer than usual, Hydreigon having been restless and required a lot of attention and affection, and Salamence had been edgy, growling at a scared-to-death Taillow that had quickly fled someplace else as the dragon glared at it angrily.

He made a mental note to let the two of them spar the following day to let out pent-up frustration.

Making himself a mug of green tea, Yuuri slumped down on the couch with a sigh, leaning back. It had been a couple of days since he and Viktor had trained and then went out for dinner afterwards, and no matter how much he tried distracting himself during the days, he found himself wishing for the following Saturday to arrive faster.

Viktor was energetic and full of life, eyes sparkling like a thousand stars in excitement every time he found something to be enthusiastic and amazed about, which seemed to be anything and everything. His mere presence seemed to brighten up any room he entered, and his warm smile probably made Gracideas bloom on every Shaymin’s back in every corner of the known world.

All of this should very well explain why there seemed to exist a gaping hole in Yuuri’s chest presently. A Viktor-shaped hole, specifically. With that kind of radiating personality, it was no wonder he left darkness behind.

_Ping!_

Yuuri blinked in confusion, looking down at his Xtransceiver. Somewhat puzzled over who would message him so late in the evening, strongly suspecting Phichit, he placed the mug of tea down on the table and unlocked the device.

It wasn’t from Phichit.

Yuuri’s heart jumped onto a Skiddo and raced away even before he opened the message, the senders name quite enough to make his palms grow warm and sprouting a swarm of Butterfrees in his stomach.

**Viktor:** Hi! Hopefully I’m not waking you up, and if I did wake you, I’m terribly sorry. I was just wondering how you were doing, so, how are you doing? How was Mossdeep? I’m looking forward training with you again on Saturday ^.^

Yuuri stared at the letters, trying to assemble them into comprehensible words, and preferably to readable sentences as well.

Viktor had messaged him… because he wondered how he was doing? Just for that?

He swallowed, taking a deep breath.

He had wondered how he was doing…

It took Yuuri approximately five minutes to realize Viktor was probably waiting for a reply, considering the message contained two question marks. When he _did_ realize it, he immediately pressed the Reply-button, frantically set on writing something back.

Problem was, he was unable to form words because his head wasn’t forming coherent thoughts.

_Focus, Yuuri. Think!_

**

Viktor took another sip of his tea, staring at the Xtransceiver on the island counter in front of him, willing either the device or Arceus to give him some sort of confirmation that Yuuri had either read or not read the message. Preferably, either of them would also deliver him a reply from the Dragon Master in the process.

It was almost fifteen minutes since he had sent the message, and while he was anxiously awaiting a reply, he also attempted to reason with his own head. Which probably could have gone better.

It was rather late, Viktor tried telling himself. Yuuri might have gone to bed already, in which case he would read (and hopefully reply) the following day. That train of thought, however, landed the coordinator in a terrible predicament.

How was he supposed to sleep soundly without knowing whether Yuuri had read the message and not replied, or not read it at all?

He wasn’t. He would never to be able to sleep without knowing.

Just when Viktor had decided that heeding Chris’ advice had been the worst decision he had ever made in his life, his Xtransceiver signaled an incoming message. He immediately grabbed the device, almost knocking his mug over in the process, and unlocked it with shaky fingers, opening the message with his heart positioned in his throat.

The smile spread on his face instantly, beyond his control.

**Yuuri:** Hi! Don’t worry, I was still awake, drinking tea. I’m well, thank you, despite that it’s been long hours at the League with the battle season approaching. Mossdeep was nice, it was good sparring with Steven. Phichit didn’t make it on his first try, but he’s giving it another go tomorrow, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed for him. And you? How have you been? I’m looking forward to Saturday, too :)

Viktor read the message twice before quickly typing a reply.

Two minutes later, his Xtransceiver _ping_ ed again.

And if they happened to tell each other good night four times over at two in the morning… well, it was something they would have to deal with when it was time to wake up the following morning, because when Viktor finally slid beneath the covers, he couldn’t stop smiling.

Following Chris’ advice had undoubtedly been the best decision he had ever made in his life. Apart from running after Yuuri the previous week, of course. And training with him. And taking him to dinner…

Viktor buried his face into one of his many fluffy pillows, cradling it to his chest and squeezing it tightly.

He _needed_ to work up the courage to ask Yuuri out. When the time was right.

Whenever that was.

 

“Let’s take it from the top, Ninetales.” Viktor told his Pokémon, rewarding her with a rainbow PokéBlock for her previous effort. “It’s a tricky routine, but we can do this, all right? Try making the ice globe a little bit thinner, so you’ll definitely be visible from every angle. It’s still a little too thick.”

“Nine-taales.” The contest-star agreed, flicking her tail(s) gracefully as she retook her position in the middle of their training court, sitting down to wait for Viktor’s command.

“Ice globe.” He told her calmly. Ninetales froze her fur and created a sphere of thin ice around her, encasing herself in something that resembled a snow globe. “Now, use Hail.”

Instead of the heavy hail she summoned during battles, Ninetales made it much lighter, more like a soft snowfall within her ice cocoon. Viktor let his Pokémon do her thing, watching as she tilted her chin up to gaze at the creation in wonder, as if she had only just woken up and never noticed anything happening before.

_…eight, nine…_

“Frost Breath.”

Ninetales delicately breathed at the thin globe, ice crystals spreading in intricate patterns across it, as if she was experimenting with it for the first time. Viktor watched, counted…

“Dark Pulse.”

The globe shattered into a million pieces, diamond dust mixing with the darkness from the attack, momentarily creating the illusion of a million stars in the night sky. In the setting, Ninetales became the bright center of the universe, breaking free from her icy prison.

It looked much better and more impressive this time around than it had done way back when they first started experimenting with the snow globe-idea, and Viktor knew that if they put a little more effort into it still, the choreography would be their ace performance to use towards the end of the contest season.

“Moonblast, delay it.”

Ninetales was easy to work with, because she only needed gentle coaxing and suggestions from Viktor to create something spectacular. She had been a natural from the start, and by merely allowing her to improvise, either alone or with Katya and/or Froslass, Viktor gained a multitude of ideas for new routines.

They had made their way to the Sinnoh Grand Festival with routines sprouting from those impro-sessions ever since he started out in the Normal Rank years ago.

Now, he could only hope that maybe, with some polishing, this particular routine would be their key to the International Grand Festival in Castelia City by the end of the contest season.

“Finish the Moonblast and use Freeze-Dry.”

_Yes_ , Viktor thought as he watched Ninetales jump up onto the frozen, shimmering globe in the middle of the court, wowing the audience like she was performing for a filled-up Contest Hall and not just her trainer and teammates, _we can work with this. We can_ win _with this._

And with a little help from a certain Dragon Master, he could very well win a battle or two as well.

As if said Dragon Master had heard him, Viktor’s Xtransceiver vibrated softly against his wrist, and a smile spread on his lips automatically. He didn’t have to look at the sender’s name to know who it was.

They had been messaging each other daily, and at least on Viktor’s part at every chance he got. Ever since he had sent that one text on Monday evening. Now, it was already Thursday.

He was still smiling as he unlocked the Xtransceiver to read and reply to Yuuri’s message. Saturday really couldn’t come soon enough.

**

“There we go,” Drake declared to Yuuri, Steven, and the rest of the Hoenn Elite Four on Friday afternoon, placing a file on the table in front of his apprentice, “this just arrived from the Pokémon League Board. They’ve granted Yuuri permission to battle in my stead at the Hoenn Battle Resort Master Challenge and the Sinnoh Battle Zone Master Challenge, but the paperwork for permanently granting him position as a League-representative Master Trainer will take some time, still. We should be expecting it in time for the Hoenn League Challenge and the World Tournament, though.”

“That’s within the year.” Phoebe smiled brightly, feeding her sun-shy Sableye with PokéPuffs below the table. “It could have been worse.”

“And in case the papers arrive in time for the Hoenn League Tournament, what do you suggest, Drake?” Steven inquired, cocking an eyebrow, “Will Yuuri be battling in your stead?”

“I would hope so.” Drake chuckled, looking over at the younger Dragon Master, who was scanning the file he had been handed. “At this rate, I can retire from battling altogether next year, even though I would still stay here to help with the administrative work for at least a year or two, until Yuuri is ready to take over altogether.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Glacia agreed with a thoughtful nod, “but what does Yuuri say?”

“Huh?” the Dragon Master in question blinked, looking up from the papers, “…step by step sounds good to me.”

“Battling first, paperwork and added responsibility later.” Sidney grinned, tossing a PokéPuff in the air for his Absol to catch. “Let the kid be a kid first.”

“Speaking of battling,” Steven remembered, turning to Drake again, “did you get Yuuri the tickets for the Tournament?”

“They’re in our office.” Drake confirmed, looking over at his apprentice. “I got you two tickets for free as discussed, but if you need more, we’ll figure something out. We might be able to get a discount, at least.”

“Two tickets are fine.” Yuuri assured, closing the file and placing it back on the table. Then, he paused, worrying his bottom lip and furrowing his brows slightly. “…but on a different note, I would have a favor to ask. Mainly of Glacia.”

The Ice Queen of the Hoenn League tilted her head, a curious smile curving on her lips.

“I’m all ears, dear.”

**

**Yuuri:** About tomorrow… let’s meet outside my apartment at ten, okay? Bring a jacket, in case you weren’t planning to. See you tomorrow :) good night.

 

Viktor zipped up his white-and-red training jacket and gave himself a once-over in the mirror a final time before fastening the PokéBall-belt around his waist and grabbing his backpack. Katya jumped up on his shoulder as he opened the door, settling down comfortably while Viktor set course towards the Dragon Master’s apartment.

Even though he had an inkling as to what Yuuri might have planner, he was still giddy in anticipation and excitement. The request to bring a jacket was merely a small clue.

Viktor spotted Yuuri before Yuuri spotted him, and he was by now absolutely certain about one thing: they were about to fly _somewhere_. He knew, because Yuuri was wearing his leather riding pants and matching boots (Viktor’s throat dried up faster than a Hippowdon with the Sand Stream-ability summoned up a Sandstorm when entering a battle, because the display should probably have been illegal in most regions). The Dragon Master was further dressed in a black-and-blue battling jacket and a pair of finger-less riding gloves, which also fit him _very_ well.

Before he even noticed it himself, Viktor was already running straight towards Yuuri, a bright smile spreading on his face.

“Yuuri!”

“Vikt-!”

Not giving the Dragon Master much time to react, Viktor flung his arms around him, pulling Yuuri into a bone-crushing hug with the intention of (preferably) not letting go.

“Good morning!” he sang cheerfully, willing himself to let go enough to look at the boy’s Cherubi-pink cheeks, “Did I keep you waiting again? I’ve got to stop being fashionably late like this.”

_I’ve missed you. Terribly._

“I just stepped outside the door.” Yuuri quickly protested, allowing a smile of his own to spread on his face. “And good morning to you, too. Shall we?”

Viktor nodded eagerly, “Lead the way!”

“I hope you don’t mind,” the Dragon Master continued as they began walking towards the beach, “I decided on an… alternative arrangement today.” He scratched his neck sheepishly. “I think you might guess where this is going.”

“Well, we’re going flying, at least.” Viktor replied, looking pointedly at Yuuri’s choice of clothing. “To the League?”

Yuuri nodded, “To the League. We’re going to give your team more favorable training quarters than the last time.”

Viktor cocked an eyebrow, “Oh?”

Yuuri offered him a small smile, pulling a PokéBall from his belt as they descended the stairs leading to the beach.

“I asked Glacia to lend us her training court.” He revealed, tossing the ball and releasing Dragonite. “Have you flown before?” the sheepish grin and Jigglypuff-blush he got as a reply told the Dragon Master plenty, “All right. First off, Katya will have to travel in her PokéBall. I’ll climb on first and help you up from there, it’s better that you hold onto me rather than to Dragonite, as you’re not used to holding onto a flying Pokémon.”

While Yuuri began the necessary preparation (as in: patting and feeding Dragonite), Viktor tried remember anything he had just been told beside the only thing his brain had registered and was now playing on repeat, the words echoing inside his head.

_Hold onto me_.

He felt himself nodding and heard his own voice ask Katya to enter her PokéBall, but he couldn’t focus on anything but Yuuri’s torso for the time being. Mainly his waist, his back, and a little lower…

Viktor hoped the gulp wasn’t audible as Yuuri took a good grip by Dragonite’s wing and swung himself up onto her back. The coordinator tried _really_ hard to think about something else, preferably something horribly unappealing, like a sewer full of Grimers and Muks. Or Yakov in a bikini. Just literally anything else than-

_Oh, Arceus, those thighs…!_

“Your turn.”

Viktor snapped out of it, smiling brightly up at Yuuri as he fastened the straps of his backpack around his chest and waist before accepting the offered hand for support.

“All right, now, place your foot right there and swing yourself up…”

Following Yuuri’s instructions to the dot, Viktor positioned himself behind him, taking a steady grip around his middle. He bit his bottom lip hard in an attempt to distract himself with pain. There were _definitely_ muscles at work beneath his touch, and yet, the Dragon Master was soft all over.

So, so soft.

Viktor felt Yuuri’s (insert as many superlatives as possibly) thighs tighten around Dragonite’s back, and he decided to do the same, just in case. The Dragon Master then took a steady grip on the dragon and clicked his tongue.

“Let’s go.”

Dragonite spread her wings, fluttering with them as she ran along the beach right up to the waterline before pushing off smoothly, taking flight. Viktor sucked in a deep breath as they surged up and away, leaving Lilycove behind as the dragon set course for the Hoenn League. He tightened his grip around Yuuri’s waist further, feeling his ponytail whip behind him in the breeze.

“The flight takes about twenty to thirty minutes, depending on how fast Dragonite wants to fly!” Yuuri called out over his shoulder. “Is that okay? Do we need to land somewhere on the way?”

“It’s okay!” Viktor assured, having to (almost) shout directly into Yuuri’s ear, “No need to land in between!”

Yuuri nodded to show he had heard, leaning a little forward and to the side as Dragonite veered to the side to avoid a flock of Wingulls, Viktor leaning with him on instinct.

The coordinator worried his bottom lip nervously, but then decided to just go with his gut instinct. He leaned a little closer still, until his head rested against Yuuri’s shoulder.

The Dragon Master felt like a solid, steady cliff in the middle of a raging storm, and Viktor knew, or rather confirmed, that he had many right decisions during the past two weeks. Including running after Yuuri and inviting him home for tea in the first place.

He closed his eyes and smiled.

_I could get used to this…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More team-interaction coming up in the next chapter, for everyone who wondered how Yuuri and Viktor's Pokémon interact with each other :)
> 
> Now then, next chapter... hmm... depending on a lot of things (including scrutinizing four research plans, work, dance practice and my s.o.), I might be able to finish editing and upload on Saturday, but if not, it will most likely be delayed until Monday. We'll see how it goes.
> 
> Thank you all SO MUCH for kudos and comments! I can't express how much I appreciate them all, but I can try by at least replying to your comments and sharing love and hugs for everyone <3 take care!


	18. Team Dynamics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor and Yuuri are beginning to see a pattern in the way their Pokémon behave around each other, Phoebe comes with a proposition she's not about to forget in the first place, and Yuuri summons Courage with a capital C. Viktor knows he's utterly and terribly screwed.

Dragonite landed smoothly on the meadow beneath the League buildings, the lush grass bowing softly as she fluttered her wings to keep them steady all the way down. Yuuri turned his head, grinning at the Top Coordinator behind him.

“You good?” he asked Viktor over his shoulder.

The coordinator let out a laugh, “I’m good; a little shaky, maybe.” He had been clinging onto Yuuri for dear life the whole way, and the Dragon Master had undoubtedly noticed. Viktor felt only a little sorry (or not at all) for potentially having squeezed Yuuri’s innards to mush during the past half hour.

Yuuri hummed, “Well, it was your first time flying; it should only be expected that you feel a little shaky.” He paused and tilted his head down, looking at the pair of arms still wound tightly around his middle. “Um… you’re going to have to let go so I can help you down, though…”

Viktor grinned apologetically behind his back.  _Oops…?_

“Oh, right, sorry!” he quickly apologized (not that he meant it, really), and let go off the Dragon Master as requested.

Yuuri expertly jumped down on the ground and extended a hand for Viktor to take, giving him a means to steady himself. The coordinator accepted it and swung his stiff leg over Dragonite’s back, jumping down onto the ground and immediately realizing why Yuuri had opted to jump down first and help Viktor after.

“Whoa!” he exclaimed, laughing at the sensation of the ground moving in waves beneath him, taking him by surprise, “It feels like I’ve been on a sailing boat for a whole day!”

Yuuri laughed in turn, “It’ll pass soon enough; we were in the air for barely half an hour.”

While Yuuri thanked Dragonite with affection and PokéPuffs, Viktor looked around to take in the new surroundings, gazing up towards the League buildings rising above them. he had never been at any League before, and he imagined that not many people at all, apart from League-representative Master Trainers, ever got to see what Viktor was now allowed to experience.

The behind-the-scenes of the Hoenn League. The backstage where challengers weren’t allowed. And Yuuri had brought him there.

The thought that the Dragon Master somehow deemed Viktor worthy (and dared he think  _special enough_ ) to be there made his chest swell with warmth.

“Coming?”

Viktor snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Yuuri with a Solar Beaming smile and nodded.

“It’s beautiful here.” He commented, gesturing to the meadow as they began ascending the stairs towards the League buildings.

“It is.” Yuuri agreed, glancing down at the greenery to remind himself of the fact. “We usually stay down there during breaks.”

Viktor might have been only slightly jealous of the Hoenn League Master Trainers as he thought about his usual lunch breaks in the Lilycove Contest Hall cafeteria. But only slightly, because the Contest Hall cafeteria served the best cherry cheesecake known to man, so it really wasn’t too bad.

“Are there others here today?” Viktor asked as they rounded a building he assumed was the champion’s quarters, “Beside us?”

“Glacia and Phoebe are sparring at Phoebe’s court today.” Yuuri nodded in confirmation. “Glacia wants to use every chance she can get to train right now, as she’s taking part in the Battle Maison Master Week in Kiloude City by the end of April, and that’s not far away anymore.”

“What’s that?” the coordinator tilted his head curiously. Apart from the Pokémon League Tournament, he didn’t really know much about the competitive battling scene. He had some knowledge about events his father, Yakov and Wallace had attended, but he couldn’t remember ever having heard of the particular event Yuuri had mentioned.

The Dragon Master hummed, “It’s a week-long event in which trainers are allowed to challenge the invited Master Trainers. If they manage to win one, they may challenge the one next in line, and so forth. The Master Trainers are ranked partially based on their position, and partially on their experience… and the Master Week always has a theme. This time, it’s Solid-Liquid-Gas.”

Viktor furrowed his brows, “So, if my papa and Yakov were both to attend, Yakov would be of higher rank as he’s been a gym leader for a longer time than papa has, but Glacia would still be ranked higher than Yakov because of her Elite Four-status?”

“Precisely.”

“And the theme; solid for ice, liquid for water…?”

“They’ve been a little more creative with that, actually.” Yuuri revealed, trying to remember exactly what the e-mail had said. “Ice and steel represent solid, then there’s water and poison for liquid, and ghost and fire for gas. Just to give the trainers a bit more of a challenge, you know; they vary the level of difficulty from year to year, too. Sometimes, they even have just one Pokémon type as their theme. This way…”

“What place is this?” Viktor asked excitedly as they entered the building, gazing around the hall in an attempt to get some clues, and found one in the form of a wooden statue of the legendary dragon Rayquaza, “Your quarters?”

“Technically, it’s the Elite Four Leader’s quarters, but I work here, yes.” Yuuri replied. “The training court is down this hall, and the battle court is in the opposite direction, with an elevator leading up to it from beneath. And the office and kitchen is over there, on the other side of the statue.”

When Viktor had pictured Pokémon League-complexes, he had always imagined something akin to the battle arenas the Pokémon League Tournaments were held at; clinical, white walls, sparsely furnished and generally quite boring.

The Hoenn League proved him terribly wrong.

It was…  _cozy_. The walls in the Elite Four Leader’s quarters were painted in a warm, lemongrass green, the floor was made of bamboo wood, and the decorations and the furniture could only be described as homely. Framed posters, photos and paintings of dragon Pokémon, Drake, and (to Viktor’s delight) Yuuri were hung along the walls, and bamboo wood-framed windows overlooked the meadow and the champion’s quarters in the back. The cocoon-like lanterns hanging from the high ceiling probably served to light up the place when it was dark outside.

Right outside Yuuri and Drake’s training court was a resting area with a creamy white ottoman and an armchair in the same color, several enormous beanbags in indigo and orange, a bigger, wooden tea table and a few smaller ones, and a television set. Judging by the shape of the indigo beanbag chair right beside the ottoman, Viktor guessed Altaria had been laying there, probably taking a nap outside her PokéBall together with her trainer, who had more than likely been sleeping on the couch.

Yuuri let Viktor have a quick look inside the training court even though they were really headed for Glacia’s in the following building.

“It’s identical to the actual battle court.” He explained to the coordinator, who marveled at the beautifully crafted dragon decorations along the upper parts of the walls in the enormous training area. “And the roof opens up, of course.”

The transition between the Elite Four Leader’s quarters to Glacia’s domain was smooth. The wall color changed from the warm, lemongrass green to a calm turquoise gradually, and while the cocoon-like lanterns and the bamboo wood flooring remained the same, the decorations on the walls changed along with the color. The framed pictures now featured Glacia, mostly ice-type Pokémon, and former Elite Four-members that had probably called those particular quarters their own at some point.

Glacia was waiting for them outside her training court, seated on the pearly white ottoman in her own resting area, a Spheal snoozing soundly on a beanbag chair by her feet. Unlike during the Tournaments, which really were the only occasions Viktor had actually seen her, she wasn’t wearing a dress, and her hair wasn’t done in her signature style with five pony tails. Instead, on her day off, she was dressed in a pearly pink, soft, turtleneck sweater, a silvery grey, woolen skirt, and a pair of long, cool violet leg warmers, her hair pulled up into a loose bun.

“Good morning, Glacia.” Yuuri greeted her easily. “I gather Phoebe isn’t here yet.”

“Good morning, Yuuri, and no, she isn’t.” The Ice Queen of the Hoenn League replied in a silken smooth voice that instantly sent shivers crawling up Viktor’s spine.

It had to be a Master Trainer thing, he figured, the ability to be intimidating without even trying. Other Master Trainers, however, were apparently immune to it, because Yuuri didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.

“Well, Glacia, this is Viktor; Viktor, meet our resident Ice Master.”

Glacia let out a soft chuckle, “I know who he is, dear.” She rose from the couch with an elegance Viktor had only ever associated with his mother, waking the Spheal up in the process, and it rolled after her as she walked up to the coordinator, icy blue gaze regarding him with interest.

“I haven’t seen Ekaterina in ages, but Sasha all the more frequently. As a fellow Ice Master, we are obliged to keep in contact at times, after all. You do look a lot like them; I suppose you’ve been told that before.” She tilted her head. “So, you know our Yuuri, hmm? Looking for some battling advice?”

Viktor fought hard against a Charmeleon-red blush from heating up his cheeks, failing miserably. Yuuri wasn’t faring much better with his own beside him, either.

“I did ask, yes.” The coordinator admitted sheepishly with an apologetic grin.

“I offered.” Yuuri mumbled, looking like an overheated Magcargo attempting to hide inside its shell. Glacia chuckled again.

“So easily embarrassed; relax, darlings.” She turned and walked over to the door leading to the battle court, holding it open for them. “Come on in.”

“You can have it for the entire day, if you like.” She continued as she turned on the lights, bathing the frozen court in a cool, white light. Spheal rolled out on the slippery surface to slide around, enjoying herself for as long as she was allowed. “Don’t worry about melting anything; I’d prefer to take care of the aftermath myself, to return it to an exact replica of the battle court again. So just leave it like it is when you’re done.”

“As you wish.” Yuuri nodded in understanding.

“There are blankets and extra outdoor clothing in the cupboards in the resting area,” Glacia informed further, “and you can use the kitchen beside my office if you want to get yourselves something warm to drink. It’s well stocked on tea, coffee and ingredients for hot chocolate.” She turned to Yuuri. “At what time are you planning on having a lunch break?”

Yuuri checked the time on his Xtransceiver, worrying his bottom lip, “Two o’clock?”

Glacia nodded in agreement, “We’ll join you outside, then.” She gave them a nod and another one of her mysterious smiles. “Do your best during training, do your worst to my training court. See you later.”

With that, the Ice Queen left, Spheal rolling out after her, happily chanting its own name as it did.

“Right,” Yuuri sighed, giving Viktor a somewhat apologetic smile, “shall we?”

Viktor replied with a bright grin, “Let’s.”

Seconds later, six dragons and five ice-types filled up the enormous ice hall that was Glacia’s training court. Yuuri’s Pokémon recognized their surroundings instantly, and immediately took their usual measures to keep themselves warm while waiting for their turn to spar. Salamence took Flygon and Haxorus under one enormous wing and Dragonite under the other, puffing out smoke and small bursts of flames in an attempt to keep his entire body warm. Hydreigon and Altaria landed on Salamence’s back, the part dark-type enveloped in cotton cloud wings, relying on the largest dragon’s inner fire and their shared body heat for warmth.

Viktor’s team, however, had no idea where they were, but the icy environment was  _their_  environment, meaning they made themselves at home instantly. Katya caught onto part of Ninetales’ tail as the Alolan Pokémon skated away around the court, and Lapras let her inner child show by flapping her fins to build up speed and then laying herself flat against the ice, sliding along after them. Weavile skated up to her and gave her a push as an extra boost before jumping on for the ride, soon joined by Froslass that appeared out of thin air beside him.

“That’s two  _very_  different ways of dealing with the conditions here.” Viktor noted, watching the dragon cocoon in amazement. “Do they always do that?”

“When they’re all out at the same time, yes.” Yuuri confirmed. “Salamence is the warmest, and thankfully also the largest, so they huddle up around him to keep their body temperatures up.” He gestured towards Ninetales and Katya, “I suppose this is normal for you.”

Viktor smiled fondly, “They haven’t had the chance to train at a proper ice court since we moved to Hoenn. Sure, they almost always begin the day by freezing the floor of our training court at the Contest Hall, but it’s not the same.”

“Glaaa-ceon!”

Viktor instinctively caught Katya in his arms as she jumped, happily showering him in cold kisses in an expression of gratitude for having been brought to, in her mind, the best amusement park ever. Her trainer giggled involuntarily at the sensation.

“Yuuri brought us here, sweetie.” He attempted to explain, pointing towards the Dragon Master. “You should be thanking him.”

Yuuri’s eyes widened, “It was noth-!”

“Glaceooon!”

He had no time to finish the sentence as Katya jumped straight from Viktor’s arms into his instead, resuming her onslaught of affection. Yuuri giggled in turn, Viktor’s heart bouncing away on a Hoppip in his chest at the sound. The dragon trainer scratched the Glaceon behind the ear.

“Glad you like it.” He smiled, booping her nose with his own.

There was a rumble from the dragon cocoon, making Viktor jump in surprise. Yuuri, however, started laughing, walking over to his pile of Pokémon with Katya still in his arms.

“That sounds like you, Haxorus.” He told the giant, who was peering down at his trainer through narrowed eyes, huddled up beside Flygon beneath Salamence’s crimson wing. “Why, I wonder?” he tilted his head thoughtfully, pausing. Then, he looked from Haxorus to Katya, who looked utterly confused, and hummed slightly, “Ah, of course.”

“What is it?” Viktor asked a little warily, having carefully approached to relieve Yuuri from his eeveelution. The Dragon Master gave him a reassuring smile before walking up to Haxorus to climb up into his lap, hugging his middle as best he could.

“It’s been a long time since he was an Axew.” He reasoned. “He used to jump up into my arms like Katya just did, and he used to sit in my lap back then, not the other way around. It took him a good while to accept the size difference when he evolved from Fraxure to Haxorus; he was quite down when he realized he couldn’t sleep in a tent with me anymore, for example. Seeing Katya, a fully-evolved Pokémon, being small enough to be able to do something he hasn’t been able to do for years might make him a little jealous, but don’t worry about it too much. He likes Katya.”

Viktor really had no way to relate to that kind of problem. The closest incident he could use as comparison was Vulpix evolving into Ninetales, and even though the size-difference had been substantial, it hadn’t been anything she wasn’t able to adapt to and accept after the initial shock and struggle had passed after a couple of weeks. She couldn’t jump up in Viktor’s arms anymore, sure, but she could still cuddle up with him on the couch if she wanted to, something that Haxorus obviously was unable to do.

Unless Yuuri got himself a couch the size of Salamence, that was.

He felt exceedingly sorry for the dragon. Haxorus was calm and friendly, albeit highly protective of his territory, and seeing him look even so slightly moody made Viktor’s heart ache. Yuuri was ever so patient, soothing his oldest companion with affection and encouraging words until the dragon stopped rumbling, calming down, then almost crushing his trainer as he pulled him in for a hug.

Viktor was sure Haxorus was simultaneously squeezing his heart.

“Now, behave yourselves.” Yuuri told all of his dragons as he finally managed to break free from Haxorus’ affectionate death-grip. “You did well last week, so don’t get tricky now just because we’re at Glacia’s court.” He turned to Viktor. “Let’s get started for real, then, shall we?”

Viktor beamed, nodding as he placed Katya down onto the ice, “Okay. How do we do this?”

Yuuri smiled back, “Today, it’s all about defense and speed on your part. You’d better be dodging.”

 

A certain pattern became apparent to the trainers soon enough regarding the dynamics between their Pokémon.

Katya, Lapras, Altaria, Dragonite and Haxorus were the pillars of the structure, the glue that kept the group together and everyone else in check, getting along with anyone and everyone, and also being the quintet the others seemed to rely on the most. Ninetales got along with everyone but Flygon, whom she apparently found irritating, and Yuuri’s mischievous dragon seemed to have brought that dislike entirely upon himself by annoying her, seemingly having decided he didn’t like her attitude.

Froslass and Weavile, on the other hand, got along well with Flygon, but not with either Salamence or Hydreigon. At all. Flames flared from Salamences nostrils in irritation as the mischievous ghost disappeared and reappeared constantly, and if it weren’t for Yuuri refusing to ask him to attack, Froslass would probably have ended up as a puddle of water on the floor. Hydreigon and Weavile was another Darkrai-level of nightmare to pair up. The blind dragon got fed up with the quick little nuisance in a matter of seconds, grabbing the part dark-type firmly between the jaws of his right-hand head while growling angrily with the other two.

To Hydreigon’s credit, he didn’t actually hurt Weavile as Yuuri hadn’t given him permission to attack, but the Dragon Master decided to let Haxorus take over.

Most surprising, perhaps, was that Salamence and Katya seemed to actually take a liking in each other, maybe because of the  _enormous_  difference in size. He let her climb onto him, to Yuuri’s delightful surprise and Viktor’s amazement, the Glaceon perching herself on his head right between the ridges above his eyes, making herself comfortable and forgetting all about battle training for a while.

Another surprise was Hydreigon’s forgiving attitude towards Ninetales, even if she was only allowed to approach together with Altaria. Otherwise, he was as jumpy and distrustful as ever, and continuously let out low growls in Froslass and Weavile’s general direction.

Overall, however, the Pokémon worked well together, and Dragonite and Lapras seemed to be an especially great sparring duo, Lapras sliding along the ice and curling into her shell to avoid Dragonite’s attempts to hit her with various low-powered moves. They sparred with respect and gave each other a run for their money, looking like they had been training together for years.

“They would make a good pair in a double battle.” Yuuri noted out of the blue.

Viktor choked on his own breathing.

Why Yuuri was even  _thinking_  along those lines, he had no idea, but the thought that he even  _had_  considered it without blushing made Viktor’s chest swell with warmth. Again.

 

When lunchtime rolled around, Viktor and Yuuri recalled all their Pokémon and headed back out to the meadow and over to a shed Viktor hadn’t noticed earlier (or rather, not paid attention to). The wooden cabin was filled with Pokémon food in all shapes and sized, and Yuuri pointed Viktor towards a set of freezers containing frozen PokéPuffs.

“Help yourselves.” He smiled while lining up six enormous, fire-proof feeding bowls to fill them up with different flavors of premium XXXXL-puffs.

“I have some of our own-“ Viktor began to protest, but was cut off.

“Just do as he says, dear.” Glacia’s silken smooth voice came floating from the door as she entered together with Ghost Master Phoebe, who immediately skipped up to Viktor with a bright grin on her face.

“Hi!” she beamed, shaking his hand enthusiastically, “I’m Phoebe, and you’re Viktor Nikiforov! Can I just say that your Froslass’ routine during the Slateport Contest Spectacular last season was  _amazing?_  Those snow ribbons were so beautiful!”

“Wow, thank you!” Viktor smiled back, delighted and completely astonished that Master Trainers of the Hoenn Elite Four’s caliber actually knew who he was and apparently watched Pokémon Contests as well, “We’re aiming to top that this year, of course.”

“Like you always should.” Glacia agreed, catching his attention again. “Now, back to food for a little while, I highly recommend these…” she opened the largest freezer and showed him a brand of puffs he had never seen before, “…they’re made for ice-type Pokémon that spend most of their time in an above zero degrees’ Celsius environment. They’re made by a small company in Slateport and really need more recognition; they’re amazing. Come here, let’s fill up some bowls for our Pokémon…”

“Yuuuuri!” Phoebe chirped happily, skipping over to the Dragon Master to give him a hug as he stood up straight again, “I’m booking a sparring session with you on Monday, at my court. Double battle practice for the Battle Resort Master Challenge, you know? It appears you and I are the only ones placed in that category from the Hoenn League.”

“I was going to ask you about that, actually.” Yuuri almost sighed in relief, making Phoebe giggle. “Thank you, and Monday works fine for me… and every other day, too, for that matter.”

“Then we’re booking in daily double battle-practice from now on.” Phoebe decided, picking out some bowls for her ghosts. “We’re good for the most part, really, because Banette and Mismagius work well together, and Sableye and Drifblim function like clockwork, but then there’s Dusknoir.” She gave up a small sigh and a shrug, giving Yuuri a sheepish grin. “Chandelure is fine working with him, but Dusknoir is like a lone Lycanroc, you know? He doesn’t really want to battle with anyone else.” She let out a laugh. “I imagine you don’t really have that kind of problem; your bunch is a tight-knit group.”

“They are.” Yuuri agreed fondly. “Altaria and Hydreigon are a given combination, and the rest goes in any kind of constellation, really. Usually Salamence and Flygon go together, and Dragonite and Haxorus has become more like a well-oiled machine than anything else, so we mostly stick to those pairings.”

“Sounds well-balanced.” Glacia commented, picking up a couple of bowls to carry outside. “Shall we?”

 

“Speaking of double battles, we should team up against each other sometime!” Phoebe stated excitedly, eyes sparkling at the idea that had just struck her. “You two against Glacia and I, three Pokémon each. It would be fun!”

Viktor managed to swallow his Lemonade instead of spitting it out, but he looked up at the Ghost Master in bewilderment.

“I can’t measure up!” he quickly protested, a blush spreading like a Flame Burst on his cheeks. “It wouldn’t be fair-“

“I said ‘sometime’, silly.” Phoebe grinned, giving him a wink. “Once you’ve passed Yuuri’s training, we’ll bring it up again.”

“But I’m no Master Train-“

“Yuuri floored the entire Hoenn Elite Four at age eleven.” Glacia reminded Viktor. “Trust me, you wouldn’t have a single thing to worry about.” She paused, turning to Phoebe. “Although, I must say that picturing my Froslass and Glalie pairing up with any other Pokémon but each other is very, very hard. I might have to leave my ace team out from that; I don’t think they would approve of being separated like that.”

“Yeah, and Dusknoir doesn’t like working with anyone.” Phoebe pondered. “But maybe Drifblim and Walrein could get along?”

Viktor suddenly got a different picture in his head, turning to Yuuri with a grin, “Try picturing Katya and Salamence pairing up for a double battle.”

Yuuri laughed out loud, luckily having already swallowed the previous bite of his sandwich, “That could actually work pretty well, to be honest; as long as Salamence doesn’t use Flamethrower in her general direction or Katya uses Blizzard or Hail… but would you actually opt to use Katya with the choice of only three Pokémon?”

Viktor shook his head, “No, I wouldn’t. I’d probably go for Lapras, Froslass and Weavile, as they like battling the most, and Lapras has the most experience on the matter.”

“Dragonite and Lapras would make a great team, I think.” Yuuri pondered, thinking back to the sparring session between the two. “And then Froslass with Flygon, and Weavile with Haxorus.”

“This sounds like something that needs to be done.” Phoebe decided, eyes twinkling. “I’m not forgetting about this in the first place, Yuuri; be prepared.”

“Does she mean that?” Viktor asked Yuuri discreetly as they started gathering their Pokémons’ empty food bowls from all over the meadow.

Yuuri let out a low chuckle, “Of course she does.”

Viktor was, once again, certain he was going to die. Sooner or later. If not from the overload of  _Cute_  that was Yuuri Katsuki, then at least from making a complete fool out of himself in front of the Dragon Master.

And if he had to choose one way to go, he knew which one he’d prefer.

 

“I’m headed to Sootopolis tomorrow.” Yuuri revealed to Viktor as they ascended the stairs from the beach in Lilycove, heading up towards the city. They had been sparring the entire afternoon as well, only letting Dragonite rest properly as she had to fly them back eventually, and Viktor was positively drained. He was sure he would be able to sleep for a week.

However, Yuuri’s words did catch his interest.

“Oh?” he tilted his head curiously, “What for?”

A small smile crept to Yuuri’s lips, “Phichit is challenging Wallace, and I thought I’d go there to cheer him on. So, I, um…” he fidgeted with his sleeves nervously, blushing a healthy shade of Cherubi-pink, “…I just thought… w-would you like to come with me? To see Wallace?”

Viktor stopped dead in his tracks, jaw slackening in surprise.

_He’s asking me if…!_

“I’d love to!” he exclaimed joyously, almost tackling the Dragon Master to the ground as he jumped straight into his arms, flinging his own around Yuuri’s neck to pull him into a bone-crushing hug to rival Haxorus’, “That would be  _amazing!_  I haven’t seen Wallace since the last exhibition last year in Jubilife, and that was  _ages_ ago. Thank you!”

“G-great!” Yuuri squeaked, having automatically clutched his arms around Viktor’s waist to prevent himself from falling to the ground from the tackle-hug, “A-and, uh…”

Viktor waited with bated breath while Yuuri steeled his nerves to work up the courage to continue, internally trembling with anticipation.

“…I-I thought we would be back kind of late today, so… i-if you want to, we could stop by the ramen shop on the way to my place…”

Viktor seriously wanted to kiss him, and he also seriously asked himself if maybe that was a little too sudden and a little too early. But by Arceus, did he want to.

Instead, he separated himself from Yuuri enough to beam at him, eyes sparkling in delight. Unbeknownst to him, Yuuri’s heart skipped a beat as Viktor’s mouth formed that adorably heart-shaped smile he had come to like. Love. Very much.

“Yuuri!” Viktor beamed happily, amazed, “Are you inviting me over? I’d  _love_  to have take-away ramen at your place!”

“G-good!” Yuuri squeaked again, but he was smiling as he composed himself somewhat. Then, he worried his bottom lip, “Will your Pokémon be okay, though? I only have XXXXL-puffs… but I do have some PokéBeans they might like.”

Viktor smiled back reassuringly, “I still have puffs I brought with me for them to have for lunch. They’ll do fine.”

 

Viktor was delighted, annoyed, and terribly flustered. All at once. On top of it all, he also felt blessed.

And it was entirely Yuuri’s fault, even though he had absolutely no idea about it.

The infuriatingly adorable Dragon Master in question was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a loose, over-sized t-shirt, and it was the latter article of clothing that caused Viktor’s predicament, because the damned thing had fallen over his slim shoulder, revealing too much and too little of that soft skin Viktor absolutely itched to and absolutely  _could not_  touch.

It was highly frustrating and terribly satisfying at the same time, which made Viktor utterly confused.

Yuuri, meanwhile, seemed to have absolutely no idea what manner of terrible thing he was putting the coordinator through. Instead, he was contentedly enjoying his take-away ramen opposite Viktor by the kitchen table without a care in the world.

Viktor  _really_  needed some kind of distraction other than his own food. Hence, he cleared his throat and spoke up:

“So,”  _uh…_ , “what time are we leaving tomorrow?”

 _Next time_ , Viktor scolded himself,  _have a plan of what to say_ before _you open your mouth. Idiot._

Yuuri hummed, seemingly having not noticed Viktor’s struggle to find something to say, “At ten, I’d suggest. Sootopolis is a little closer to Lilycove than the League… not by much, but still. It’s a twenty-minute flight, give or take a few.”

Viktor noticed an opportunity and seized it.

“How did you get into the city the first time you visited?” he asked curiously.

Yuuri laughed, “With a Pelipper. It carried my backpack in its bill and me on its back, which was quite amazing considering it wasn’t that big a flying-type; less than a meter and a half from the ground up. It was incredibly strong… well, I was smaller at the time, of course, and it must have been used to carrying heavy loads.” He tilted his head slightly. “What about you? How did you get in and out, considering you told me just this morning you haven’t flown on a Pokémon before?”

“I wasn’t lying.” Viktor grinned. “We always took the underwater way, and I had Lapras there for that; Wallace and Lisia mostly used Gyarados and Milotic. I might have never flown on a Pokémon before, but I have gotten in and out of a diving suit about a million times.”

“I haven’t really had to deal with either Surfing or Diving since Dragonair evolved into Dragonite.” Yuuri pondered. “Before I caught Dratini, I mostly asked fishermen and sailors for aid when I needed to cross a body of water, and then I had Dratini and Dragonair for a while… and then Dragonair evolved, and Shelgon shortly afterwards, and I’ve flown everywhere ever since.”

“You don’t use Altaria and Flygon for flying, though?” Viktor inquired, a small piece of information he had always found curious, as the two dragons had evolved before Dragonair and Shelgon, “I understand Hydreigon, but why not them? Too small?”

They were definitely big enough for Yuuri to fly on.

Yuuri scratched his neck, smiling sheepishly, “Well… Altaria has a habit of humming while she flies, and that might be a problem as it makes me relax and I could potentially fall asleep on a flying dragon. Besides, I don’t want to risk putting too much strain on her neck, as it is quite slender, you know? As for Flygon…” he chuckled slightly, “…he would probably be fine to fly on, but spending hours with the song of the Desert Spirit playing on repeat.” He shook his head. “I’d have that noise ringing in my ears for days.”

They continued chatting while they ate, and then they talked some more when the food was long gone. It wasn’t until a yawn slipped past Yuuri’s lips that Viktor realized it was  _late_.

“I should get going.” He smiled tiredly, not having realized how utterly and completely exhausted he was himself. “My babies will want to return home to their ice-coolers… and Lapras to her pool.”

“Yeah, and we need to get some sleep before it’s time to get up and leave for Sootopolis tomorrow.” Yuuri agreed, standing up and stretching. Viktor mirrored his actions, grabbing his PokéBall-belt and fastening it around his hips.

They headed outside to call their Pokémon back into their PokéBalls…

…only to find every single one of them sound asleep. Viktor’s eyes widened, a smile spreading on his lips.

“Adorable!” he breathed, barely above a whisper, muffling his voice with his hands. Yuuri couldn’t help but smile either.

“They do look… comfortable.” He agreed quietly.

Yuuri’s Pokémon were scattered like usual, with Flygon on Salamence’s back, Haxorus and Dragonite leaning back to back against each other, and Hydreigon contentedly wrapped into Altaria’s cottony wings. However, there were a few additions to the usual setting.

Froslass and Weavile were comfortably curled up on Flygon’s back, Lapras had cuddled up together with Haxorus and Dragonite, resting her head on Dragonite’s leg, and Ninetales was lying on the other side of Altaria, back to back with her. And Katya, tiny, little Katya, was snoozing soundly right on top of Salamence’s head, curled up right between the red ridges above his closed eyes.

(For Salamence to even have allowed Froslass and Weavile anywhere near him, he must have been really,  _really_  tired.)

“I almost don’t want to do this.” Viktor lamented quietly, pulling Froslass’ PokéBall from his belt.

Yuuri gave him an understanding smile, “Yeah… me neither.”

 

_“Good night.” Yuuri murmured into Viktor’s shoulder. “See you tomorrow.”_

_“Tomorrow.” Viktor murmured back, inhaling Yuuri’s rain-and-sandalwood scent and using every ounce of willpower he possessed not to have a taste of the soft, exposed skin right within his reach on Yuuri’s shoulder. Or just kiss him. “Sleep well.”_

If Viktor had taken a cold shower when he got home, he would never admit it to anyone. Not even to Chris.

…scratch that.  _Especially_  not to Chris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to sleep forever now, but hey, I got this one edited! I swear that someday, I'll go fix all the (irritating) mistakes I can find that have slipped past my tired eyes during the editing. Someday.
> 
> A little longer again than average, but hopefully it was worth it. A few things got left out to be brought up another day...
> 
> Next chapter I'd estimate to be able to post on Wednesday at the very latest, but I will attempt to have it up earlier, because I'd like to upload chapter 20 before I travel home to visit my parents and siblings during Eastern... I'm leaving on Saturday morning, so let's see how that goes. I'll do my best, only for you, you amazing and lovely people who read, leave kudos, bookmark and write heartwarming comments that always make my day. I'll be replying to you soon again, promise <3
> 
> Have a nice weekend! Hugs!


	19. The Key to Success...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri and Viktor head to Sootopolis to cheer Phichit on as he's challenging Wallace, who in turn is happy to see his former student.
> 
> Whether Wallace or Phichit hold the key to success remains to be seen... or if, in the end, the key actually lies with someone else entirely.

Apart from a few fluffy, white clouds, the sky was clear and blue; perfect for flying. Dragonite apparently thought so, too, because she emerged from her PokéBall with a contented “draaagonite!”, eager to get going.

“Where are we meeting Phichit?” Viktor asked as Yuuri helped him onto the dragon’s back.

“Outside the Pokémon Center.” The Dragon Master replied, tightening the grip with his thighs around Dragonite while Viktor took a steady hold around his waist. “Maybe Lapras could give us a ride over to the gym?”

Viktor grinned, hugging him from behind. He really couldn’t help himself.

“She’d love to.” He assured. “It’s been a while since she swam in those waters.”

Yuuri smiled, “I thought she might like it.” He clicked his tongue. “To Sootopolis, Dragonite.”

Viktor didn’t turn Yuuri’s innards to mush with a death-grip like the day before, but his own innards did wound themselves into a tight knot and turned into lead. Sure, he was thrilled about the opportunity to see Wallace, but it wasn’t his former mentor he was worried about.

What he _was_ worried about was the inevitable meeting with Yuuri’s best friend.

He knew virtually nothing about Phichit Chulanont, other than that he was Alolan, that he had a bunch of Gym Badges and a few Elite Four-certificates under his belt, that he had a Togedemaru and an Emolga (and quite a few others), and that he was, indeed, Yuuri’s best friend.

And Viktor dared think that he had learned enough about Yuuri Katsuki, Dragon Master Extraordinaire, to know that to be Yuuri Katsuki’s best friend, one had to be special. Pretty damn special.

And it was all because Yuuri, while a brilliant battle strategist and an amazing Pokémon Magnet, was shy. He was so easily flustered and embarrassed that his cheeks sported an almost permanent blush (which really wasn’t good for Viktor’s fragile heart), and he wasn’t the person to approach anyone he didn’t know… or, really, anyone in general. For Phichit to have had become his best friend, the Alolan had to be pretty damn amazing.

Viktor wasn’t entirely sure how to handle that.

_‘Accept that the Alolan is his best friend and nothing else.’_

Chris’ voice echoed in Viktor’s head all the way to Sootopolis.

_Best friend and nothing else._

Unbeknownst to Viktor, Yuuri wasn’t exactly calm inwardly, either. For the exact same reason.

_“So, are you bringing your boyfriend?”_

_“He’s not my boyf-!”_

_“Spare me the excuses, he’s definitely your boyfriend. Are you bringing him along or not?”_

_“Viktor’s_ not _my boyfriend! And I asked him, so yes, he’s comeing with me.”_

_“Perfect! I need to make sure he’s worthy of dating my best friend.”_

_“I’m_ telling _you-!”_

_“He should be afraid. Very afraid.”_

_“Phichit!”_

_“See you later, dragon boy!”_

Needless to say, Yuuri thought he had every right in the world to be gut-wrenchingly nervous. Phichit was a happy-go-lucky person who would never hurt a Combee, but he was also… cheeky. And mischievous. And while he would never _hurt_ anyone, he was perfectly capable of turning Yuuri into his best impression of a Cherrim in its Overcast Form, hiding his bright red face as best as he could.

And telling Yuuri that Viktor should be afraid… well, that only translated into “make Yuuri as red as possible in front of Viktor.”

Despite the crippling nervousness, Yuuri managed to breathe steadily. He was on Dragonite’s back, high up in the sky, Viktor’s arms a comforting weight around his waist.

Viktor’s head resting on his shoulder.

Yuuri didn’t even notice the small smile spreading on his lips.

 

**

 

“Emolga!”

“Whoa, hi!” Yuuri laughed as the small, electric-type Pokémon came soaring towards them to land on Yuuri’s shoulder, rubbing her cheek against his, “Does this mean your trainer’s ready to go?”

Emolga then spotted Viktor behind Yuuri, tilting her head curiously, “Emolga?”

“Hi there,” Viktor smiled, allowing the Pokémon to sniff his face as he couldn’t offer his hand, “I’m Viktor; nice to meet you.”

By the time Dragonite touched down, Emolga has decided Viktor was trustworthy enough for her to shower with affection, making the coordinator giggle as small sparks of electricity tickled his face with every cheek-rub and kiss.

“Good morning, Komala.”

Yuuri rolled his eyes as he jumped down from the dragon’s back, “I’m awake, Phichit.”

He offered Viktor a hand and helped him down as well, Emolga jumping into the air and gliding over to her trainer, landing on his vacant shoulder. Togedemaru was already perched on the other one.

Phichit was grinning from ear to ear.

“You get up earlier on weekends than on a normal weekday.” He pointed out to Yuuri as he approached them. “I don’t know whether to be worried or impressed.” Yuuri merely rolled his eyes again, shaking his head slightly, but he was smiling as he pulled out some PokéPuffs to treat Dragonite with.

Phichit turned to Viktor, smile as bright as the sun above his home region.

“Alola!” he greeted cheerfully, and Viktor congratulated himself on managing to remember the correct hand gesture that went with it, “I’m Phichit; nice to meet you, cousin!”

Viktor was internally ever so slightly relieved that he had visited Alola before and not only knew the proper greeting gesture, but also that ‘cousin’ translated to ‘buddy’. Therefore, he found his own face breaking into a bright smile to rival the Alolan’s.

“Nice to meet you, too.” He replied, willing his heart to stop pounding against his ribcage while praying to Arceus and Mew-Mother-of-All that he would make a good first impression on Yuuri’s best friend. The Alolan’s grin turned into a Solar Beam.

“I didn’t really watch Pokémon Contests before I met Yuuri,” he informed the coordinator, a hand on his hip, “but _boy_ , that Weavile of yours? His speed stat is _insane!_ ”

Viktor did his best to appear unfazed on the outside, because inwardly, he was dancing like a Ludicolo at the reminder that Yuuri had watched all of his contests. It still hadn’t quite sunk in, and somehow, hearing it from someone else made it even more real for him.

But Phichit had said something about Weavile…?

“He’s a quick little troublemaker, yes.” He confirmed. “And what about your team? Are they pumped for taking on Wallace?”

The Alolan laughed, “Team Steel is _always_ ready! And if we lose, then we’ll try again and do better. Speaking of which,” he turned to Yuuri, who had just recalled Dragonite back into her PokéBall and joined them, “any last-minute advice, Mister Master Trainer?”

“You should use Team Thunder.” Yuuri replied with a sheepish smile. “But I assume they’re not too keen on going into battle.”

“My darling Dedenne isn’t going to battle anyone, as you well know.” Phichit confirmed, cradling Emolga to his chest as if willing Yuuri to imagine Dedenne in her stead. “So Team Steel is doing this.”

“You should at least consider using Raichu.” Yuuri tried carefully.

“Nope!” Phichit stated stubbornly, hugging his Pokémon tighter, “We’re doing this with Team Steel. We’ve come this far, we even beat Siebold back in Kalos. Besides, Raichu _hates_ battling. He would zap _me_ and not his opponent if I placed him on the court.”

Yuuri sighed, “Right. Well, as you might remember from your battle with Siebold, you can forget using steel-type moves. Togedemaru is your best bet if you use Charge before you attack, and Mawile comes in good second, then Lucario with his long-range fighting-type moves, like Aura Sphere and Focus Blast. Prepare to use your whole team for this; Wallace is a tough opponent. He could very well be an Elite Four-member if he wanted to try and claim a spot.”

“Yeah, and he hasn’t beaten you even once, dragon boy.” Phichit reminded his friend, causing Yuuri to turn a brighter shade of Bounsweet-pink. “There goes all the ice-type moves for naught as Yuuri Katsuki enters the stage with Team Puts-Rayquaza-to-Shame. So,” he tilted his head innocently, “what you’re telling me is that I should start off with Togedemaru, like against Siebold?”

“And then withdraw him.” Yuuri nodded, attempting to cling onto the remaining pieces of his dignity that he felt had slipped through his fingers along with Phichit’s words. “Let him recharge and save him for absolute last; you want to tire out Milotic as much as possible before attempting to deal a final blow.”

“And what was that telltale sign I needed to be aware of?”

“Disarming Voice.”

“Right.” The Alolan noted, worrying his bottom lip slightly. “Tricky, but we can pull this off… or not, we’ll see. If not, we’ll try again in a couple of days or so, train a little more and perfect the strategy.” He grinned. “Well, then, with that settled, how are we traveling across the water?”

Viktor smiled, pulling Lapras’ PokéBall from his belt, “I might have someone that can help.”

 

Lapras was overjoyed when she realized where she was, and swam a small circle around herself before stopping in front of Viktor, rubbing her cheek against his in gratitude as he hugged her. She was downright eager to carry him, Yuuri, Phichit, Togedemaru and Emolga across the water, and Viktor couldn’t remember ever having a faster ride between the Pokémon Center and Sootopolis Gym.

Having stepped ashore, he gave her a handful of puffs and a choice of either staying to swim in the water outside, or join him to the gym. Lapras entered her PokéBall.

“She wants to see Milotic.” Viktor explained fondly to Yuuri and Phichit, placing the ball in his belt. “They’re close, and they haven’t exactly had a chance to see each other for a long time, let alone train together. Maybe they’ll spar on their own today during the battle.”

“At least they’ll have a chance to.” Yuuri agreed, but his smile was somewhat wistful. “Not that there ever is enough time.”

Phichit and Viktor silently agreed with him.

 

**

 

“Welcome to Sootopolis G-, Viktor!” the attendant jumped in surprise as she realized who had entered the lobby, “And Yuuri! It’s been _ages!_ ”

“It’s good to see you, Marissa.” Viktor greeted the middle-aged woman as she ran around the counter to pull him into a bone-crushing hug.

“You’ve grown so much!” she exclaimed, assessing him from head to toe when she took a step back, “not that you seem to have been eating anything, with how thin that waist is.”

Before Viktor had time to assure her that he really did eat (quite a lot of ramen), Marissa pulled Yuuri into a hug into turn, “And you! You were only ten when you last visited, but I will never forget the boy who once walked through the doors with a Trapinch in his arms and seven badges in his Badge Case, timidly handing over his Trainer Card and asked to challenge the gym; and look at you now – the youngest Dragon Master in history!” she took a step back again, clasping her hands together as her eyes watered. “And our little Vitya, Top Coordinator! Wallace has been so proud of you-“

“Speaking of Wallace, he has a challenger.” Viktor gently cut her off, indicating the Alolan. Only then did the attendant spot Phichit and gave up an embarrassed squeak.

“Of course!” she exclaimed frantically, “I’m so, so sorry, young man; may I have your Trainer Card, please?”

Phichit laughed good-naturedly, pulling out his card “No worries, ma’am, this happens every time Yuuri accompanies me to a gym; I’m used to it.” He grinned broadly while Yuuri buried his Flame Burst-blush in his hands.

“So unprofessional of me,” Marissa still apologized as she scanned his trainer card and tapped away on the computer, “I’m terribly sorry. There you go, dear.” She handed his card back with a warm, apologetic smile. “We have one ace trainer here that should match your approximate level of skill, so you’ll have to battle her to get to challenge Wallace. She will only use two Pokémon, but you’re allowed your full team of six; you know the deal.” She gestured to the double doors in front of them. “Right through there; she’ll join you shortly along with the judge. Do you need a rundown on the type advantages?”

“Nope, but thank you ma’am!” Phichit beamed, “Let’s go Togedemaru; Emolga, back into your PokéBall please.” He turned to Yuuri and Viktor, giving them a wink, “See you at the gym leader’s court!”

“Good luck!” Viktor told him with a smile and a wave.

Yuuri was subtler, nodding, “See you soon.” However, he was smiling, too.

“I imagine you boys want to see Wallace.” Marissa spoke up as Phichit slipped through the door to the ace trainer battle court. She gave them a warm smile as she unlocked her Xtransceiver, “Just a second.”

 

“Vitya!” Wallace exclaimed in surprise, all but running up to his former student to envelop him in a hug, “I would _not_ have expected this day to take such a turn!”

“Good to see you, too, Wall.” Viktor grinned, remembering the first time he had hugged Wallace at the very same gym years ago. The major difference between then and the present was that Viktor was actually taller than his former mentor by now, if only by a mere centimeter or two.

“And to surprise me even more, you show up here with my favorite Dragon Master!” Wallace continued dramatically, letting go off Viktor with one arm to pull Yuuri in with it, squeezing them both simultaneously, “You look well, Yuuri; I thought Drake would be working your bones off you.”

“He’s been considerate enough.” Yuuri grinned sheepishly as Wallace took a step back to look at them both properly. “And it’s nice to see you again.”

“Both my boys came to see me, and at the same time nonetheless.” The Water Master sighed, smiling tearfully. Viktor might have argued that Lance would have a thing or two to say about Wallace calling Yuuri ‘his’, but he didn’t get a chance as his former mentor continued:

“I’m a blessed man; Rayquaza and Arceus have no doubt heard all my prayers. Come,” he gestured towards the door to the left that he had entered the lobby through, “let’s get going; your friend will likely be showing up at my court soon, if his badge count is anything to go by.” He gave Yuuri a wink. “Has he gotten some advice on how to beat me?”

“Perhaps.” Yuuri replied vaguely enough as they walked through the door and started down the hall to the right.

“That’s fair enough, I suppose.” Wallace grinned. “Oh, and speaking of nothing at all,” he looked over at Viktor, “I imagine Milotic would like to catch up with Lapras, what do you think? They would have time; I can’t use her in this battle, anyway.”

Viktor smiled fondly, “She’d love that; she was thrilled to be back here.”

“I’m glad.” Wallace said softly. “We can let them out in the training pool in the back. And Yuuri,” he added, turning to the Dragon Master, “you should let Dragonite out. She has defeated my Milotic three times already, and I think my darling falls in love with her a little more every single time. They should be allowed to meet outside of battle, too.”

Yuuri let out a laugh, pulling Dragonite’s PokéBall from his belt, “Is that why Milotic loses every time?”

“I have a strong suspicion.” Wallace winked. “Let’s allow our ladies to socialize for a while. I have a battle to win.”

 

**

 

“Allow me to formally introduce myself,” the gym leader spoke, sweeping his cape back elegantly as he took a humble bow, “I am Wallace, the Gym Leader of Sootopolis City.” He straightened up, looking at his opponent on the other side of the pool. “As far as your Hoenn gym badges tell me, I’m the only obstacle standing between you and the Hoenn League.” His trademark, charming smirk widened ever so slightly, eyes twinkling. “Are you ready?”

“Ready and set, Mister Gym Leader!” Phichit beamed, Togedemaru spiking up his fur to make a point.

“He certainly seems to be.” Viktor noted to Yuuri, watching from the audience stand right beside the judge’s platform, cradling Katya in his arms.

The dragon master hummed slightly, “He has a kind of… carefree confidence that he carries with him everywhere. He doesn’t let a loss bring him down, at least not too much, and just practices harder and tries again until he pulls through. Usually he manages on one to three tries.”

“And what about today?”

Yuuri worried his bottom lip, “I… don’t know. Wallace is a tough opponent, but Phichit did beat Siebold… we’ll just have to wait and see.”

“This is a one-on-one battle between Gym Leader Wallace and challenger Phichit Chulanont.” The judge announced loud and clear from her platform. “The opponents enter the battle with a full team of six Pokémon each. The gym leader sends out his Pokémon first, and the battle begins on my signal.”

Wallace pulled out a PokéBall from his belt in a swift motion, tossing it with a flick of his wrist, elegant and precise.

“Let’s get started, Luvdisc.”

“It’s so weird watching this from the sidelines.” Yuuri mumbled mostly to himself, watching the heart-shaped Pokémon bob up and down in the pool.

“I can’t even begin to imagine.” Viktor admitted, glancing over at him. “How did this part go?”

Yuuri grinned, “Shelgon took Luvdisc out with Brick Break and then sank like a rock. I had to recall him before he hit the bottom.

Viktor’s sweet giggle never failed to set his heart fluttering around like a Beautifly in his chest.

“You start, Togedemaru!” Phichit told his oldest companion, the electric- and steel-type jumping onto the floating platform, fur spiked up and ready for action.

_Ding!_

“Luvdisc, Lucky Chant.”

“Togedemaru, Electric Terrain.”

Wallace wasn’t having that, “Mud Sport.”

And instantly Phichit’s enormous advantage was but a memory, Luvdisc quelling the Electric Terrain with the Mud Sport to make sure the Alolan Pokémon wouldn’t get the chance to one-hit K.O. her or any of her teammates. So Phichit changed tactics.

“Use Charge!”

“Luvdisc, Scald!”

“Dodge it; Discharge!”

“He went for a sudden-death-strategy,” Yuuri pondered as Luvdisc went down with a single, Charge-powered Discharge, despite the Mud Sport, “just like I did when I challenged Wallace for the first time.”

“It seems he’s going to heed your advice, then.” Viktor guessed.

Yuuri could only cross his fingers.

 

“I thought Wallace would have opted to use Tentacruel.” Yuuri furrowed his brows as Togedemaru used Magnet Rise to escape the Whirlpool Lumineon had set in motion.

“He’s going for show.” Viktor told him. “He’s a coordinator and an artist at heart; he can’t resist. And you have to admit that Lumineon is at least better looking than Tentacruel.”

Yuuri let out a laugh, “Well, yes, I can admit that, but there’s nothing wrong with Tentacruel.”

Viktor begged to differ in many ways, including the slimy tentacles, the dagger-stabbing glare, and the fact that it probably had enough poison in its system to wipe out half the population of the Hoenn region.

Then he remembered Yuuri had tamed six dragons and could probably handle a Tentacruel without a care in the world. Sure, there probably really was no problem with Tentacruel if you managed to tame an aggressive and skittish Hydreigon. Probably none at all.

 

“Good thing he switched to Mawile there.” Yuuri commented. Togedemaru had managed to take down Lumineon with a well-timed Zing Zap, and then Phichit had withdrawn his Pokémon like Yuuri had suggested, sending out the part fairy-type against Whiscash. “He needs to get some rest before Wallace sends out Milotic.”

“How did you win Milotic the first time?” Viktor asked Yuuri curiously, watching as Phichit’s Mawile used Metal Burst to find the correct Whiscash among the dozen that had appeared from the Double Team.

Yuuri smiled fondly, “Altaria. Milotic used Hydro Pump, and she countered with Ice Beam to freeze it. Then she used Dragon Pulse to shatter the ice and Milotic took the full blow, as she was partially frozen.” He let out a small laugh. “I really couldn’t believe we managed to win on our first try.”

Viktor was once again reminded of the fact that he had never managed to beat Wallace, but he supposed it wasn’t the same as a gym battle, either. Yuuri would probably argue with something along those lines, at least.

Mawile managed to take down Whiscash with Solar Beam, but then Sealeo gave her a run for her money.

“Ouch!” Viktor flinched as the part ice-type hit Mawile with a deadly-accurate Aurora Beam, which she attempted to counter with a Flash Cannon, but not stopping it entirely, hitting her in the head.

“Not as ‘ouch’ as the next move.” Yuuri said grimly.

Viktor blinked, ”Next mo-?”

”Sealeo, Ice Beam!”

 _Oh._ That _next move._

“Mawile is unable to battle.”

“How did you know?” Viktor asked Yuuri, somewhat bewildered and mostly impressed.

“He tried using the exact same tactic against Fraxure.” Yuuri explained with a shrug. “I withdrew Fraxure and sent out Shelgon to finish it off with Dragon Rush and Brick Break.”

 

Scizor became Phichit’s savior against Sealeo, starting off with Reversal and then managing to land both an Aerial Ace and a Brick Break, knocking the part ice-type out.

And then Seaking entered the battle. The Seaking with Aqua Ring.

“Pull up your legs.” Yuuri told Viktor, pulling his own against his chest up on the seat. Viktor instinctively did as told, Katya clinging onto his shoulder. He gave Yuuri an incredulous look.

“Why?”

“Seaking, Water Pulse!”

“That’s why.”

The shockwave sent water splashing all over the place, washing up into the audience stands where their feet had been seconds earlier. Viktor couldn’t help but laugh.

“Thanks for that; I only brought one pair of shoes!”

Yuuri laughed in turn, “Then you might want to keep your legs up.”

 

Scizor went down with a merciless Horn Drill from Seaking, confused after having been subjected to Supersonic. Viktor winced as the part bug-type crashed down into the water.

“That looked painful.”

“It probably is, even with an exoskeleton made of steel.” Yuuri agreed sympathetically as Phichit recalled yet another fainted ally. Then, he frowned, “Why is he sending out Skarmory now?”

“What do you mean?” Viktor inquired as Skarmory started off with a well-aimed Air Slash, not spotting anything wrong with the decision.

“I told him last week that all Wallace’s Seakings know Scald.” Yuuri explained, worrying his bottom lip. “And she has much lower special defense than Scizor, because she happens to have a lax nature that lowers that particular stat. If she gets burnt, it’s going to hurt, and she’s not going to be able to stay in the air that well.”

As if Wallace had heard Yuuri (which was impossible due to distance and the battle noises echoing from all around), he ordered Seaking to use Scald. It hit Skarmory straight in the stomach, making her cry out in pain and flutter her wings frantically in an attempt to soothe the burn and stay in the air.

“Skarmory, Brave Bird!”

Yuuri placed his face in his hands.

And seconds later, Viktor understood why.

“Seaking, Horn Drill!”

Skarmory collided with Seaking’s horn in a loud, metallic crash that sure made both Pokémon take damage, but Skarmory was more injured due to the Scald and Brave Bird added recoil damage for her. Hence, she fainted, dropping down into the water with a loud splash, while Seaking returned to his place in front of Wallace, seemingly a little drained but still standing.

Damn that Aqua Ring.

Yuuri sighed, “He should have gone for Lucario. Skarmory would have fared better against Milotic than against Seaking.”

“Because the Milotics Wallace uses for gym battles don’t know Scald?” Viktor guessed. Yuuri nodded in confirmation.

“Oh, well, he’s sending out Lucario now, at least.”

 

“Lucario, Aura Sphere!”

“Better.” Yuuri approved. “He needs to keep more distance, and Lucario has a high special attack-stat and a bunch of moves to choose from, unlike Skarmory who is more of a physical attacker, like Seaking… only Seaking is better.”

It was really only then that Viktor noticed he was taking mental notes of everything Yuuri was saying. He was freely giving away battle advice and the coordinator hadn’t even realized it. He was going to thank the Dragon Master for it when Yuuri suddenly pulled up his legs again.

“Pull them up, quick!”

Seaking had used Water Pulse, and Lucario had countered with Vacuum Wave, and the shockwave resulting from the collision of the two opposing attacks sent water splashing up to Viktor and Yuuri’s knee-level.

“Seaking, use Scald!”

“Protect, Lucario!”

“Mud Shot!”

“Jump!”

Lucario, crouched down on the platform from the Protect, pushed off and jumped high into the air to avoid the Mud Shot. And then…

“High Jump Kick!”

“Seaking, down!”

Seaking dove into the pool, and as Lucario realized he wouldn’t be able to hit the High Jump Kick, he landed back onto the platform instead. Phichit, however, didn’t look fazed in the slightest, because as soon as Seaking was back within their field of vision, he took action:

“Focus Blast!”

“Seaking, dodge!”

But there was nothing saving the water-type, because Lucario had obviously been charging up the Focus Blast ever since Phichit had told him to do High Jump Kick, which Viktor realized had been a diversion all along. And coming to think of it, it made sense, because Phichit would surely never ask Lucario to perform such a physical attack on a Pokémon armed with a horn on its head when the part fighting-type had a bunch of much more effective long-range special attacks in his moveset. He had merely wanted to lull Wallace into a false sense of security.

Something Yuuri was an expert at doing.

“Well, then, it seems I’m down to my last Pokémon.” Wallace commented, pulling out one more PokéBall from his belt. “Go, Milotic!”

“Should I be afraid of getting my feet wet again?” Viktor inquired as the elegant Pokémon materialized with a cry all too soft for a battle.

Instead of replying with words, Yuuri pulled out an umbrella from his bag and opened it, placing it over the both of them. That was more than a sufficient answer for Viktor to pull his legs up again.

Apparently, they were going to get soaked.

And when Wallace ordered Milotic to use Aqua Tail and Phichit asked Lucario to counter it with Circle Throw, the umbrella really came in handy. However…

“I don’t think Katya is approving of this.” Viktor pointed out as Glaceon glared daggers at the battling Pokémon, turning the water on her fur into ice in protest. She had poked her head out for half a second and gotten drenched, and she was _not_ happy about it.

Yuuri merely chuckled, petting Katya behind the ear, “Just stay beneath the umbrella, okay? Good girl.”

Nope.

Not good for Viktor’s heart. At all.

 

Lucario, unfortunately, didn’t snap out of the emotionally compromised state the Disarming Voice left him in quick enough, even though Phichit succeeded with a “We can do this, Lucario!”. It was still too late to save him from the harsh Hydro Pump that followed, meaning it was up to Togedemaru to take the stage last.

And then Milotic used Mud Sport… and then Refresh.

Yuuri groaned, shaking his head, “Are you kidding me…”

Milotic looked invigorated and not tired in the slightest, and that was exactly what Phichit and Togedemaru did _not_ need at that moment.

Yet, they soldiered on.

“We’re going all out, Togedemaru!” Phichit announced determinedly, seemingly unfazed by the fact that Wallace had just asked Milotic to essentially replenish her entire amount of HP, of which she had a lot. Like, _a lot_ , “Wild Charge!”

“Reckless.” Yuuri muttered into his hand, the one that wasn’t holding the umbrella.

“Counter with Aqua Tail!”

Togedemaru bravely attempted to use Charge twice and then use Zing Zap, having managed to avoid getting hit by Disarming Voice, but Wallace showed why he was a Master Trainer to begin with. Milotic levitated out of the water at the last second, the Zing Zap missing her by the strand of a hair, and used Hydro Pump.

On tiny little Togedemaru.

Frankly enough, he just didn’t stand a chance against the harsh water-type attack. Phichit ran after his companion as he hit the wall behind them, catching Togedemaru in his arms when he dropped down. Milotic landed back in the water, not at all as drained as she maybe should have been if she hadn’t used Refresh.

“Togedemaru is unable to battle; Gym Leader Wallace wins!”

Yuuri shook some water from the umbrella and folded it, “Well, some more practice and he’ll pull this through.”

“Yeah,” Viktor agreed as Wallace treated Milotic to PokéPuffs and affectionate pats on her long neck, “that was pretty close.”

_And I could never pull it of… not without your help._

**

 

“I screwed that up pretty bad, huh?” Phichit grinned sheepishly as he handed his PokéBalls over to the gym’s resident nurse.

Yuuri shrugged, “It could have been worse… but you shouldn’t have sent out Skarmory against Seaking.”

“I know!” Phichit groaned, slumping down on a chair in the waiting area, accepting the bottle of Soda Pop that Yuuri handed him, “but I thought I could take Seaking out and have Lucario in full form against Milotic, you know? It didn’t work, but I did hope it would have.”

Yuuri hummed, absentmindedly crossing his arms over his chest in thought, “The High Jump Kick was a brilliant diversion for the Focus Blast, but it only works so many times. Still, it’s something you can use, of course.” He worried his bottom lip. “Your best bet is to try and take out Milotic before she uses Disarming Voice. Lucario was distracted for a little too long.”

“More head-on, then?” Phichit wanted to clarify, “More… Focus Blast- and Wild Charge-head-on, without a pause?”

“Well, if you can get a Wild Charge in before Mud Sport,” Yuuri grinned, “then you only have to prevent Milotic from using Refresh. You’ve got this.”

Phichit grinned back, “We’ll do our best! …in a couple of days or so.” Then, his grin widened further, “And speaking of ‘you’ve got this’, pretty boy’s got it bad for you, honey.”

Yuuri choked on his own breathing while doing his best impression of an embarrassed Cherrim again, “Don’t _say_ things like that!”

“Like what?” the Alolan tilted his head innocently, “That he’s pretty and in love with you?”

“ _Phichit!_ ”

 

“How do you know Yuuri, anyway?” Wallace asked Viktor curiously as they joined Milotic, Lapras and Yuuri’s Dragonite at the gym leader’s training court, “I mean, I’m not surprised you know who he is, but how do you _know_ him?”

Viktor sported a brilliant, Cherubi-pink blush, clearing his throat sheepishly.

“I, uh…” _so embarrassing!_ “…I ran after him.” There was no lying to Wallace; the Water Master would see right through him like he always did. “I’ve wanted to meet him for a long time, so when I spotted him I just… ran after him, really. It turned out that he apparently had wanted to meet me too for quite some time, which I’m still unable to fully comprehend.”

Wallace hummed, clearly amused, “I know that blush, Vitya; I’ve seen it before.” Viktor’s head snapped directly towards him, a bewildered look on his face. Wallace chuckled, “When you were reading an issue of the _Battle!_ -magazine back in Lilycove… no, actually, in Slateport during the Contest Spectacular last year you sported that same blush. I suppose it had something to do with my favorite Dragon Master… and apparently, yours, too.”

Viktor groaned, burying his face in his hands, “How did you guess?”

Wallace let out a laugh, “Because you spent the entire battle just now leaning against him like you were a pair of polar-opposite magnets. Neither of you appeared to realize what you were doing, though.”

 _Well, damned Giratina,_ Viktor cursed inwardly. Hopefully, Yuuri had been too distracted to notice…

 

**

 

“I saw you in the double battle line-up for the Battle Resort Master Challenge.” Wallace told Yuuri while filling a bowl of PokéPuffs for his Tentacruel. “An interesting choice on the organizer’s part, considering it’s your first time participating in anything as a Master Trainer.”

“Drake suspects they had placed him in the double battle-category before the permit came from the Pokémon League Board for me to battle in his stead.” Yuuri replied, handing Altaria a bowl of puffs. “It’s okay, it just requires a lot of practice. We’ve scheduled a lot of sessions with Phoebe.”

“Ah, yes, she was also placed in the double battle-category.” Wallace remembered. “And so is Norman, Winona and… who was the last one…?”

“Flannery, I think.”

“Flannery, it was!” Wallace exclaimed, joining Yuuri, Viktor and Phichit on the grass once he had provided all of his Pokémon with food, the menacing-looking Tentacruel happily munching down an enormous amount of PokéPuffs.

“I’m not envious of any of you, you know,” he continued, pulling out a sandwich from his bag, “I’ve been in the double battle-category quite a few times, and when someone comes armed with a team consisting of grass- and electric-types…” he gave up a small laugh, “…my Pokémon are edgy for days afterwards, even if we win.”

“Yeah, I’m not looking forward to the onslaught of fairy- and ice-type teams, to be honest.” Yuuri sighed slightly, scratching the fur around Hydreigon’s middle neck as the dragon munched down PokéPuffs with all three heads, Altaria humming softly beside him as she ate as well. “I bet there’s going to be a few.”

“No worries!” Phichit chirped, grinning confidently as he attempted to feed Pikachu and Raichu without Togedemaru, Dedenne, Emolga and Pachirisu stealing their food, “The Invincible Dragon Master will snatch the victory right in front of their eyes, anyway.”

“Phichit…” Yuuri groaned, hiding his face again.

“I’m inclined to agree with him, Yuuri.” Viktor spoke up, Katya licking her bowl clean beside him before sprinting over to Salamence, watching in amazement as the enormous dragon devoured his share of XXXXL-puffs. Which was a lot. “You’re going to give the challengers a run for their money more than the other way around.”

Yuuri was silent for a moment. Then, a small smile crept to his lips.

“Well,” he glanced over at his team, stroking Hydreigon’s fur fondly,  “at least _they_ can.”

Wallace, Viktor and Phichit shared ‘a look’.

At least the Dragon Master was confident in his companions.

 

“Are you staying at the Pokémon Center?” Wallace asked Phichit as they stood outside the gym, ready to part ways. The Alolan nodded, and Wallace hummed, “If you want to train, you can use the ace trainers’ training court here; just talk to Marissa and she’ll book it for you, okay? There aren’t really any other places around here made for that purpose.”

Phichit beamed at him, “Thank you, Mister Gym Leader! I’ll do just that; and I’ll kick your ass yet.”

Wallace chuckled, “We’ll see about that, but I’m looking forward to it.” He then embraced Viktor tightly, “Take care, Vitya. And next time you’re going to visit, give me some warning, okay? So I can fix us some lunch other than sandwiches.”

Viktor laughed into his shoulder, “Sure. I’ll tell you next time.”

“Liar.”

Viktor grinned right back at him, “You know I like to surprise.”

Wallace sighed, but he was smiling from ear to ear, “I know.”

 

**

 

“Thank you so much for taking me with you today.” Viktor told Yuuri as they were finally back in Lilycove late in the evening, sitting in Yuuri’s living room with some more take-away ramen for the second day in a row. “And for yesterday, too. How am I ever going to make this up to you?”

Yuuri blushed an adorable shade of Jigglypuff-pink, “I-it was nothing! You don’t have to-“

“But I _want_ to.” Viktor firmly cut him off, stubborn, not wanting to hear yet another “you don’t have to repay me” or an “it was nothing” from Yuuri ever again. “Can I make you dinner or something?”

The words were out of his mouth before he even realized what he had said, but he couldn’t take them back anymore. Not that he really _wanted_ to take them back, but the fact of the matter was that Viktor’s cooking skills were far from great.

And he had just offered to make Yuuri dinner.

The Dragon Master stilled momentarily, worrying his bottom lip, “Um… that… it’d be lovely, of course, but…” he glanced towards the door leading to the backyard where their Pokémon were currently having dinner together, “…Salamence, Dragonite and Haxorus won’t exactly fit into your apartment…”

_Oh._

Viktor mentally slapped himself. He should have realized that, he _should_ have, but he _still_ wanted an excuse to see Yuuri sooner than in yet another agonizing week, and he had no other or better excuse than… well, making him dinner.

“Then, maybe I could bring some food over to your place some evening!” he attempted to solve the dilemma, “So you at least don’t have to go through the trouble of making it yourself, you know, when you’re tired and all.” An idea popped into his mind, and he quickly added: “And I know that at least Katya will want to see her friend soon again!”

The last part really translated to _I want to see you soon again_ , albeit Viktor had no doubt that Katya actually wanted to see Salamence again sooner rather than later.

Apparently, it did the trick, because Yuuri let out a fond laugh, “I guess that’s true… and Salamence probably wants to see her, too.” Viktor breathed out an internal sigh of relief while Yuuri fidgeted a little with his chopsticks. “I-if you really want to, then…”

“I do.” Viktor assured him quickly and firmly, already going through the minimalistic library of recipes in his head and wondering if any of them would be good enough to be served to the Dragon Master. “It’s the least I can do.”

Yuuri worried his bottom lip again, looking thoughtful. Then, he slowly placed his chopsticks into the ramen-carton and stood up, walking over to his bedroom. Viktor heard him open a drawer and rummage through it, then shutting it again and returning to the living room, fists clenched nervously.

He dug his fingernails into the palm of his left hand while opening the right one, holding it out to the coordinator.

Viktor’s heart skipped a beat, or five, his breath catching in his throat and a million Butterfrees sprouting in his stomach, fluttering around wildly. He accepted the offered object with bated breath, slowly closing his fingers around it, Yuuri’s palm warm beneath his hand. The Dragon Master sported an irresistibly adorable Bounsweet-blush when Viktor looked up at him.

“I’m honored.” He couldn’t help but comment. Thankfully, it brought out a small, timid smile on Yuuri’s face.

“It’s easier this way.” He murmured softly.

Viktor carefully added the key to his keychain. The key to Yuuri’s apartment.

Now, if only he could find the key to Yuuri’s heart as well…

 

**

 

“Chris, I need your help!”

“ _Is someone dead or dying?_ ”

“I am!” Viktor exclaimed frantically, pulling at his hair in panic, “I’m dead, and I’m dying, and I need your help _right now_ to prevent it from getting worse!”

Chris sighed, but chuckled in amusement nevertheless, “ _What have you done?_ ”

“I’ve dug my own grave.” The Top Coordinator groaned painfully. “And started the apocalypse. What do I do?!”

“ _Explain yourself at once, Nikiforov, or I’m going back to sleep._ ”

“Chris, this is a crisis,” he whimpered, sinking down on the couch, “I promised to make Yuuri dinner some evening, and he gave me the key to his apartment to bring it over to his place, and my cooking skills are mediocre at best, and _you’ve got to help me!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (how did this chapter get this long...!)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it, and now, I'm leaving you hanging over Eastern. I'm sorry! <3
> 
> I was hoping to upload chapter 20 before I leave on Saturday, but my schedule just won't allow that, unfortunately. So I'll be returning some time next week, but I can't promise exactly when... I'll try Friday, at the latest. There's a lot going on next week, and I'll be out of town quite a bit. Still, I'm hoping to be back on track soon enough.
> 
> I can never thank you all enough for the amazing support you're all been giving me for this fic, because I simply can't express my gratitude in words. Thank you, each and every one of you, for all the kindness and encouragement. I'll be replying to all the comments before I leave on Saturday; that much I can promise.
> 
> Haxorus-size hugs! <3


	20. Pirozhki Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After placing himself in a terrible predicament, Viktor realizes he really needs some help, and not only from Chris. Yuuri, meanwhile, is (not too) blissfully unaware of Viktor's struggles while pushing harder and harder with his team.

”Please, answer...”

Viktor worried his bottom lip anxiously, staring intently at the screen of his Xtransceiver. He knew that calling absolutely anyone before eight o’clock in the morning wasn’t too good an idea, but this one person he was trying to reach he _knew_ he could call at seven and she would be up and running no matter what. Now, if she would only have the time to locate her own Xtransceiver…

“ _Vitya?_ ” Ekaterina Nikiforov’s sculpture-perfect features appeared on the screen, a slight look of worry glimmering in her amethysts, “ _You’re calling early; are you all right?_ ”

Viktor gave her a reassuring smile, “I’m sorry, mama, I didn’t mean to worry you. I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

He knew he hadn’t woken her up.

Ekaterina let out a small chuckle, shaking her head, “ _No, sweetie, we’ve just finished feeding our darlings, and your father’s taking a shower. Is everything okay?_ ”

“I’m okay.” Viktor assured her further, willing that single crease of worry to disappear from her brow. “I just need your help a little, if you’ve got the time? Later today?”

Inwardly, he let out a sigh of relief as she smiled brightly, “ _Of course, sunshine; I’ll be back home around four. What can I help you with?_ ”

Viktor smiled sheepishly, a light Jigglypuff-blush spreading on his cheeks, “Please, teach me how to make pirozhki.”

 

The following morning, Viktor almost jumped backwards in surprise when he stepped into the kitchen, only to remember exactly why it looked like Tornadus had come sweeping through it during the night. It was a complete and utter mess, but at least at around midnight, Viktor had finally, _finally_ managed to make something that actually looked like, smelled like, and even tasted like pirozhki.

It wasn’t Ekaterina Nikiforov’s pirozhki, but it was definitely edible, and he dared even think it actually tasted good. Now, he only needed to work up the courage to serve a fresh batch to Yuuri.

Hence, Viktor started his morning with cleaning the Self-Destructed kitchen so he could start making the doughs immediately when he got home, in case he suddenly failed again and needed to make another batch or two. Or, if he then failed all over again, he would have to give his mother another call.

Viktor had attempted both sweet and savory fillings, and had finally decided that the one with mushroom tasted the best on the savory part, and the apple one on the sweet. Therefore, due to the several failed pirozhki-experiments from the day before, Viktor’s team got served some more breakfast than usual, much to their delight. Katya and Lapras steered clear from the sweet ones, but Froslass looked like she had woken up to discover it was her birthday, munching down all too many sugary pirozhkis for her own good.

Then again, she was a ghost. It probably wasn’t _that_ bad.

Ninetales, who favored bitter and earthier flavors, took care of all the mushroom-filled dough-pockets, leaving Katya, Lapras and Weavile to choose between the rest of them. There weren’t too many dry ones for Katya, except those Viktor had managed to burn a little, but there were some with a sour apple filling that he had forgotten to add sugar to, which Lapras enjoyed very much. Weavile, favoring spicy flavors, happily devoured all the savory experiments Viktor had put way too many spices in.

All in all, with the help of his Pokémon, Viktor was left to take care of the mushroom pirozhkis he had deemed all right, and he also put away one with apple filling in his bag to have for dessert at lunch.

That was, if Froslass didn’t decide she was hungry and just claimed it as hers before he even got a chance to think about lunch.

Leaving the apartment building, Viktor worried his bottom lip while Katya jumped down from his shoulder to run around for a bit, letting out some excess morning energy. He had hoped to go over to Yuuri’s place in the evening with some (hopefully edible and good) pirozhki, as he really, _really_ wanted to see the Dragon Master as soon as possible again. The thing was, he wasn’t sure his food would be up to par to be served to Yuuri yet.

By the time he reached the Contest Hall, Viktor had decided that if Ninetales approved of the mushroom Pirozhki and Froslass of the apple ones, _and_ he himself could eat both without cringing altogether, he would go over to Yuuri’s place in the evening with the food. If it wasn’t up to the standards he had set, he would practice some more and then try again the following day.

…and what then?

Viktor felt his shoulders slump slightly as the inevitable question rose to the surface of his conscious mind. If he wanted to see Yuuri more than once during the week (other than on weekends), he needed to be able to make more dishes than just pirozhki. He couldn’t just show up empty-handed, now could he?

Sure, he could go get them take-out some evening and just use the excuse that he hadn’t had the time to make anything himself, but pulling that stunt too often would undoubtedly raise Yuuri’s suspicions, Viktor thought. Also, he was quite certain that the Dragon Master would be horrified about the amount of money Viktor would spend on some humble cartons of ramen.

He heaved a sigh as he closed the door to the training court behind him.

He would have to call his mother again… but not before he had called Chris to scream to him about it. Viktor could already hear the Kalosian laughing at the expense of his misery.

…best worst friend, indeed.

 

**

 

“Nice diversion!” Phoebe called out to Yuuri from the other side of the court as she recalled Sableye and Drifblim into their PokéBalls, after having treated them to some homemade puffs, “I didn’t realize Dragonite is actually strong enough to fly around while holding Haxorus; I somehow imagined she would only be able to pull him up and hover in the air.”

Yuuri shrugged as he rewarded his dragons with PokéBeans, “It might not look like it, but Dragonite weighs about a hundred kilograms more than Haxorus. She’s a little bigger, sure, but it’s mostly muscle that does it; she’s much stronger than she looks.”

“I noticed.” Phoebe grinned, then pondered: “You could use that to your advantage, it’s definitely going to take the opponent by surprise… the first time, at least.” She pulled out her last two PokéBalls from her belt. “Ready for round three?”

“We are.” Yuuri confirmed, recalling Dragonite and Haxorus. “Altaria, Hydreigon, your turn.”

“Chandelure, Dusknoir, you’re up.”

Two dragons and two ghosts materialized on Phoebe’s training court, which made Hydreigon tense momentarily before he realized Altaria was with him, making him relax. While Yuuri’s Pokémon therefore looked pumped and ready to go, Chandelure and Dusknoir…

…well, actually, just Dusknoir.

“Oi, big guy!” Phoebe scolded her ace Pokémon, making the ghost the size of Dragonite turn around to look at his trainer, “No going solo, okay? You’re in this together with Chandelure, and if you don’t co-operate, you’re going to lose.”

Her Pokémon peered at her with his one, piercing red eye.

“Dusk-noir.” He huffed in his deep, grave voice, turning to face the dragons again.

“I swear to Arceus I’m going to make you co-operate.” Phoebe stated stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest. “Give him a run for his money, will you, Yuuri?”

The Dragon Master cocked an eyebrow at the implication, “Are you sure?”

Phoebe’s pout turned into a grin, “Your Mega Stone is vibrating.”

She was right. Altaria’s Altarianite was resonating with the stone on Yuuri’s Dragon Master-pin, showing her urge to Mega Evolve in an attempt to better defend her battle partner and her trainer. Yuuri worried his bottom lip, pondering for a moment.

…but maybe, by raising Altaria’s stats, and especially her special attack stat, Dusknoir would be perhaps forced to realize he wasn’t going to make it on his own. Possibly.

“Go on, Altaria.”

Altaria cooed in her high-pitch soprano, flapping her cottony wings as she engulfed in a bright, shimmering pink light. The Mega Stone was still vibrating, warm and secure against Yuuri’s chest as Altaria emerged in her Mega Evolved form, twice as cloudy and cottony as before, sporting a much longer tail than usual that somewhat resembled that of the legendary Articuno’s.

“All right,” Yuuri looked over at Phoebe, cocking an eyebrow, “good to go?”

The Ghost Master grinned brightly at him, “Let’s do this.”

 

**

 

“Good job, Froslass,” Viktor praised his Pokémon fondly, treating her with an extra sweet PokéPuff, “beautifully executed. Let’s take it one more time from the top, okay?”

“Frooossss-laaassss.” She agreed in her eerie, ghostly voice, munching down the puff before taking center stage again, waiting for Viktor’s command.

He concentrated hard on guiding Froslass through the routine, as his mind constantly attempted to wander off someplace else. More specifically to his favorite Dragon Master and pirozhki.

Viktor was dead-set on getting the dish right. He wanted, wanted, and just _wanted_ to see Yuuri in the evening, and getting the food wrong meant waiting at least one more, agonizingly long day before he could try again. And since he didn’t want to wait another day, he had to get the dough right. Not to mention the filling.

And he _really_ needed to focus on Froslass’ routine.

“Will-O-Wisp.”

Froslass melted the Powder Snow around her, which flew around with the Ominous Wind she had whipped up, water droplets sparkling amidst the snowflakes.

“Thunder Wave.”

Watching Froslass perform for a mostly invisible audience, Viktor was once again struck with the realization of how different his three star performers were from one another. Katya liked making up for the fact that she was the smallest by creating grand and spectacular routines, and Ninetales was more balanced, starting off in a more humble tone and ending in a grandiose manner.

Froslass was on the opposite end of the scale from Katya. She could build entire choreographies consisting of nothing but low-key moves like Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave and Aurora Veil, which together with her illusions managed to tickle the nerve-ends of the audience and keep them at the edge of their seats through the whole routine.

All in all, their different styles served the team well in contests. No one ever knew exactly what to expect, even though they were all ice-types.

“Use Aurora Veil, then Double Team.”

 _Next time_ , Viktor noted mentally as Froslass created flickering images of herself all around the training court, making it look like she was an illusion created by the northern lights, _we’ll try trapping a Will-O-Wisp-flame in with Frost Breath._

When Froslass finished, Viktor immediately grabbed his notebook to write all the new ideas down, forgetting all about worries for a moment. The pirozhki would have to wait.

 

**

 

“Thanks for that,” Phoebe grinned at Yuuri as they got seated at the picnic-table in the meadow, “I think Dusknoir at least learned _some_ lesson, but it will probably take some time to sink in. He has to swallow his enormous pride first, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.”

“Have Yuuri’s dragons been putting your Lord of Shadows in place?” Sidney inquired, already seated by the table, eyes twinkling in amusement, “What happened?”

“I ordered Hydreigon and Mega Altaria to do a two-front attack on Dusknoir.” Yuuri replied, picking up his chopsticks, “It forced Dusknoir to allow Chandelure to help him; he wouldn’t have made it otherwise.”

“It was exactly what my big guy needed.” Phoebe stated as she tucked in on her noodle wok. “Without Chandelure’s help, Mega Altaria’s Moonblast would surely have hit dead-on while Dusknoir was busy trying to save himself from Hydreigon’s _devastating_ Dark Pulse. Hopefully he learned something.”

“How did Chandelure survive the Moonblast?” Glacia wondered, having joined them in the middle of the conversation, “I mean, sure, fairy-type moves are not very effective against her, but Yuuri’s Mega Altaria has a special attack stat almost as high as Hydreigon’s, and that’s saying a lot.”

“Chandelure used Endure and Overheat to quell most of the attack, which saved Dusknoir’s skin.” Phoebe explained. “And we went easy on one another today, as we were only sparring.” She pondered for a moment. “But we should definitely battle properly at some point; maybe it would make Dusknoir understand, once and for all, that he has to stop being a lone Lycanroc and actually accept Chandelure’s Helping Hand when being offered.”

“We should battle before the Battle Resort.” Yuuri agreed with her. “We’re going to need all practice we can get.”

Phoebe’s eyes lit up with a spark, “We could hold a mini-tournament!” she exclaimed enthusiastically, looking around at the others, “We all need to train anyway, and I know that you, Sidney, have been placed in the double battle category at the Battle Zone Master Challenge. You need to practice those just as much as we do.”

“I’ve been placed in the _triple_ battle category in Sinnoh.” Glacia sighed, but didn’t look too fazed. “It’s been quite a few years since I’ve had to do triple battles the last time, and no one else from the Hoenn Elite Four has to do those this year, which is perhaps a bit unfortunate.”

“Liza and Tate are doing triple battles at the Battle Resort, and Brawly in Sinnoh.” Yuuri remembered, attempting to recall if any other Hoenn League Master Trainer was scheduled for them. “Maybe you should try scheduling practice sessions with them?”

Glacia tilted her head in thought, humming slightly, “Sparring with Brawly would be good defense training for my team, I suppose… I’ll email him and the twins myself.”

“Right,” Drake rumbled as he sat down beside Sidney by the table, unwrapping his sandwich, “what did I miss?”

 

**

 

“ _Deeeep breaths, mon chéri,_ ” Chris attempted to soothe his friend through his own laughter, completely unable to hide his all-too-knowing, mischievous grin, not that Viktor had the time to look at it, which perhaps was for the best, “ _you’ll do fine_.”

“I’m so screwed,” Viktor whimpered, placing down all the groceries on the kitchen island, “I _have_ to get this right, or I won’t get to see him tonight.”

“ _I gather the catchy rhyme was unintentional. Look, you practiced all evening yesterday; you’ve got this._ ”

“And then what?” the Top Coordinator lamented while pulling out the food from the bags and placing them on the counter to sort them out, “I can’t make him pirozhki the whole week!”

There was a long, stretched, drawn out silence on the other end of the line while Chris simply stared at him like Viktor suddenly had sprouted a second head.

“ _…are you seriously planning on making him dinner every single day from now on?_ ” he asked in amazed disbelief, sounding like he was surprised but still knew that he shouldn’t be.

“Well, maybe I could get away with bringing take-out sometime.” Viktor pondered, not at all understanding why the Kalosian sounded so surprised. “But I won’t make it with only pirozhki and boxed ramen for long.”

Another silence. Chris slowly shook his head, but the amused grin was back.

“ _…I’ll send you a recipe for a simple Kalosian ratatouille. I guarantee it’s delicious._ ”

A relieved, grateful smiled stretched out on Viktor’s lips, “Thank you.”

 

**

 

“ _Yuuri!_ ” Phichit smiled brightly and waved on the screen of Yuuri’s Xtransceiver, “ _Taking a break?”_

“A small one.” The Dragon Master confirmed, stretching out on the couch in the resting area outside the Elite Four Leader’s training court, absentmindedly stroking the sleeping Altaria’s neck. “Just a breather before the last sparring session for the day, I’m waiting for Sidney to show up. How’s it going in Sootopolis?”

“ _Well, we’ve been working hard the last couple of days now, and tomorrow, we’re ready to try again._ ” Phichit replied, motioning towards a confident Togedemaru on his shoulder. “ _We’re better prepared now, and Disarming Voice shouldn’t cause too much trouble any longer. We just need to see to it that Milotic doesn’t get the chance to use Refresh, and we should do much better._ ”

“Did you teach Mawile Charge Beam yet?” Yuuri asked, worrying his bottom lip slightly, “Or does she still know only Thunder Fang?”

“ _She hasn’t quite got the hang of Charge Beam yet, but we’ve been practicing it._ ” Phichit revealed, scratching his neck sheepishly. “ _It could be stronger and more accurate still, and it could have a much better range than it does now, so we definitely have to work on it._ ” His tanned features broke into a grin, and Yuuri understood the conversation would now change direction entirely. “ _Speaking of working on it, has pretty boy brought food for you yet, since you so generously gifted him with the key to your apartment and all?_ ”

“Oh, Rayquaza…!” Yuuri groaned with a heavy sigh, slumping further down on the couch, “Why did I do that? He probably feels pressured to cook something now, when he maybe is really too busy and doesn’t have the time, and that was not what I intended to-“

“ _Stop right there, Katsuki._ ” The Alolan cut him off with a stern look of disapproval. “ _As far as I can remember you telling me yesterday, he_ insisted _, and giving him the key to your apartment was a perfectly sound solution to the problem that your dragons simply don’t all fit inside his fancy penthouse._ ” He gave Yuuri a wink. “ _Think he’ll show up tonight?_ ”

“Probably not.” Yuuri sighed, attempting to swallow all of his second-guesses and doubts, a mission that failed spectacularly. “He told me that he has more students during the beginning of the week, so it’s likely he’ll show up another day.”

Phichit tilted his head slightly, “ _Honestly? I don’t think a few students more or less are going to make much of a difference._ ”

Yuuri frowned, “Why not?”

A shit-eating grin spread on the Alolan’s lips, “ _Because he’s thirsty enough to empty the entire Seafloor Cavern during high tide._ ”

“ _Phichit!_ ”

 

**

 

“Please, doughs, just _rise_.” Viktor mumbled, concentrating hard on getting the one onion he needed chopped up as finely as he could manage. “Is the water boiling yet, Katya?”

“Glaaa-ceon.” She replied, shaking her head ‘no’, eyeing the single Swellow egg in the small pot suspiciously, like she was waiting for it to suddenly jump out of the water and run away.

“Just let me know when it does, okay?” her trainer pleaded her, treating the Glaceon with half a mushroom he had spared from the food processor, “Good girl.”

Katya continued to peer closely at the lone egg in the pot while Viktor finished chopping the onion, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve. Then, he placed a frying pan on the stove, ready to cook the mushrooms, all the while glancing at the recipe he had memorized in his Xtransceiver, trying to remember everything his mother had attempted to teach him the previous night.

He would never be able to thank her enough for her endless patience.

“Eon!”

“Thank you.” Viktor told Katya, bringing the temperature down and pressing the button on the timer readily set on his Xtransceiver. “It’s supposed to be hard-boiled…”

He poured the onion into the pan first, keeping it on a medium heat and stirring all the while, another timer ticking away beside the egg one. He wasn’t able to tell by eye exactly when it was time to add the mushrooms, so he had to rely solely on the time-estimations he had gotten from his mother.

Somehow, thank Arceus, Viktor managed to _not_ burn the mushrooms, the onion and the rice in the pan while taking care of the Swellow egg, placing it in a bowl of cold water to cool down. Katya jumped over to the kitchen island when he finally poured the whole mushroom mixture into a bowl, and she then proceeded to blow cool air onto the metallic surface carefully, speeding up the process a little.

“Right, herbs…” Viktor murmured, picking up the dill and parsley to chop some up.

“Glaaa-ceon.”

“Here you go, sweetie.” The coordinator smiled, handing his demanding Pokémon some parsley to chew on. She had some interesting preferences, granted. Parsley was fine, but dill was apparently too bitter for her taste. Basil was also appreciated, but lemongrass appeared to be too sweet.

And Katya absolutely loathed everything that tasted sweet.

With the mushroom filling finally done (having added the herbs, the boiled egg and one lightly whipped, raw one) and seasoned to his satisfaction, Viktor placed the bowl beside the one with apple filling he had made earlier, both ready and good to go. He glanced at the time and then decided to have peek beneath the cloths hiding the doughs, both the savory and the slightly sweeter one, from the eyes of the world.

Now, he could only pray to every legendary Pokémon in existence (except for Giratina) that both of them would have risen just as they were supposed to.

He lifted the cloths…

…and then slumped forward onto the kitchen island, heaving a deep sigh.

Of relief.

“Thank _Arceus!_ ”

At least, the doughs had risen. That meant he only had to further worry about sealing the fillings in properly wo they wouldn’t spill out of the dough pocket, then see to it that the pirozhkis had enough room on the baking trays to grow in the oven, and then that he took them out of the oven on the right time. They were supposed to be baked for twenty minutes; no more, no less. Othwerwise, they would be either doughy and chewy, or burnt and as hard as a Shuckle’s shell.

Viktor steeled himself.

He had made it so far. Now, if only he could make it the rest of the way, too…

 

**

 

Yuuri dragged himself up the stairs from the beach, exhausted. He was astonished that Salamence actually had had the strength to fly them back to Lilycove without complaint after the intense sparring session with Sidney’s Sharpedo, but perhaps the dragon was just too tired to grumble about it. Or then, he understood that Dragonite in turn was too drained to get the job done, having sparred first with Cacturn and then with Absol, the latter being Sidney’s ace Pokémon and no easy opponent to take on.

The last training session for the day combined with all the other practice they had had the time for during the day had rendered the entire Hoenn Elite Four, Yuuri, and all their Pokémon completely and utterly spent. At least, the Pokémon could recover some energy at the Healing Station, but it didn’t completely nullify the exhaustion after a long, long day.

Somehow, Yuuri managed to practically crawl up the stairs to his apartment, heading straight for the shower on autopilot. Hopefully, it would help him clear his head a little.

 

“V-Viktor?!”

Yuuri had never been more thankful that he usually pulled on his sweatpants and oversized t-shirt in the bathroom before exiting it. Otherwise, he would have been both surprised and terribly embarrassed, but as it was now, he was _only_ (pleasantly) surprised.

“Hi!” the Sinnohan waved from the kitchenette with that unfairly adorable heart-shaped smile on his face, leaning against the kitchen bench Katya was sitting on, “I was aiming to get here before you got home so as not to give you a jump-scare, but I was a little too late, apparently; sorry about that.” He scratched his neck sheepishly. “I did make dinner, though, I didn’t just invite myself empty-handed.” He gestured to two paper bags beside Katya, aquamarines sparkling in anticipation. “Hungry?”

The initial shock having worn off, Yuuri found his lips pulling themselves into a smile, warmth spreading like a Heatwave in his chest at the thought that Viktor, beautiful, amazing Viktor, had wanted to make him dinner and brought it all the way to his apartment not even half the size of the Top Coordinator’s.

He merely managed to nod in confirmation, attempting to wrap his head around the fact that _Viktor_ had cooked for _him_.

The coordinator’s Solar Beam-bright smile made Yuuri forget all the worried he had been having for the past two days, “Pokémon first, of course.”

Yuuri snapped out of his thoughts with a laugh, “Of course.”

 

When all the vastly different-sized bowls of vastly different PokéPuffs had been carried out into the garden, Viktor and Yuuri returned inside, the coordinator’s heart beating like a Hammer Arm against his ribcage and getting stronger by the beat.

Inwardly, he crossed his fingers and prayed to Dialga and Palkia that the food he had made would still taste as good as it had done when he tried it back home. It wasn’t Ekaterina Nikiforov’s pirozhki, but it was her recipe, and Viktor had done everything in his might to replicate it as closely as possible. His pirozhki tasted _almost_ like hers, but as the ingredients were a little bit different in Hoenn than back in Sinnoh, there were inevitably going to be a few variations.

Now, he could only hope Yuuri would like them.

“Um…” Viktor snapped out of his thoughts as Yuuri caught his attention, standing by the cupboard, “…what do we need?”

“Oh,” the coordinator grinned sheepishly, “plates, maybe, but not necessarily cutlery… just some kitchen towels.”

Yuuri blinked, but smiled shyly nevertheless, “All right.”

Viktor carefully placed the paper bags on the living room table and then scrambled to help Yuuri with the plates, the kitchen towels, and a couple of drinking glasses. He worried his bottom lip slightly, silently scolding himself for not thinking about bringing any particular drink to go with the food, but water would have to do. That was apparently what Yuuri usually drank anyway.

And speaking of Yuuri and food…

“Right, so, uh…” Viktor swallowed his remaining pride and willed his nervousness to go down with it, at least hoping his voice wasn’t audibly trembling like a Burmy in the wind, “…have you had pirozhki before?”

Yuuri blinked again, seemingly searching his mind for what Sinnohan food pirozhki was. Then, his chocolate eyes lit up and a smile spread on his face as he nodded.

“Yes, they served pirozhki to the contenders at the Pokémon League Tournament in Jubilife a few years back.”

Viktor almost cursed inwardly at the revelation, having almost hoped he wouldn’t have had a reference, but smiled nevertheless as an automatic reaction to Yuuri’s facial expression,

“Then you’ve got some idea.” He replied, opening the first bag. “These have a mushroom filling, and the ones in the other bag have an apple filling.” He pondered whether he should tell Yuuri he had never made pirozhki in his life before yesterday, but decided against it for the time being. “I’m not that great a cook, but at least my team liked them.”

Yuuri laughed, picking out a pirozhki from the bag and wrapping a kitchen towel around it, “If they liked it, I’m sure it tastes good.”

Viktor attempted to hide his Rapidashing heart with a laugh that came out all too nervous in his own opinion, but he grabbed a pirozhki himself anyway and tried to forget about it. However, he was too anxious to start eating before seeing Yuuri’s reaction, and he somehow wanted to both look and _not_ look at the same time. He held his breath as the hungry Dragon Master took a bite, chewed, swallowed…

…then took another bite, looking up at Viktor with sparkling, maroon eyes.

“It’s delicious!” he beamed as he had swallowed his second bite, smiling and apparently attempting to fight off a Cherubi-blush that threatened to spread on his cheeks, “Thank you so much.”

Viktor let out an enormous sigh of relief inwardly, warmth spreading in his chest at the praise. On the outside, he smiled brighter than the Alolan sun, unable to stop the laugh that escaped his lips.

“I’m glad you like it.” He managed to reply, finally taking a bite of his own food. “please, have as many as you want.”

Soon enough, Viktor found himself relaxing as Yuuri really and truly seemed to be enjoying the pirozhkis as much as he claimed he did, and the conversation steered over to what they had been up to the past two days, what they were currently working on, and so forth. They had just started tucking in on the apple pirozhis when Viktor was hit with the realization of how _normal_ it all felt, as if though he and Yuuri had been having dinner together every evening since forever and a day.

Like it was a daily and perfectly common occurrence.

Even though it wasn’t.

_…but it could be?_

“Um…”

Yuuri fidgeted nervously with his hands as Viktor turned his head to look at him, leaning against the railing next to him as they were gazing down at their sleeping Pokémon in the garden. They hadn’t had the hearts to recall them into their PokéBalls yet, as they looked all too comfortable curled up together on the grass, especially Katya, who had moved from sleeping on Salamence’s head to snooze on his front leg instead, leaning against his cheek, and barely visible beneath the crimson wing that partially (mostly) covered her like blanket.

Taking a deep breath, Yuuri curled his hands into fists, “I… I know you’re busy, and… and the contest season isn’t too far away anymore, but…” he steeled himself, willing his gaze to meet Viktor’s curious blue eyes, “…but still, I… I’ve got a spare ticket to the Pokémon League Tournament since I’m not participating this time, and… I-I mean, it’s in Slateport this year, so if you’d want t-“

He didn’t get the chance to finish the sentence before he was tackled by 180 centimeters of overjoyed Top Coordinator into a bone-crushing hug that almost pulled his feet off the ground.

“Of course I want to!” Viktor grinned brightly, his nose buried into Yuuri’s shower-fresh hair (and realizing exactly where the familiar scent of spring rain originated), “I can take at least a few days off, even if it’s only weeks away from the start of the contest season. I’ll make it work.”

Yuuri swallowed, cheeks burning, “I-if it’s not too much troubl-“

“It’s not.” There was a tone of finality in the coordinator’s voice that made the Dragon Master pause, a sense of relief washing over him.

“…o-okay.”

The reassurance finally made Viktor stop squeezing the air out of his lungs and lean back a little to take in his Bounsweet-pink cheeks. The heart-shaped smile was back, and Yuuri’s insides were rapidly melting to gooey Gogoat cheese.

“Just tell me when, and I’ll rearrange my schedule.”

Yuuri found his own smile widening ever so slightly as he nodded.

“Of course.”

 

“There’s still some pirozhki left…”

“It’s all right,” Viktor quickly assured Yuuri as he looked like he wasn’t sure whether to give the rest back to him or not, “you can keep them and have them for lunch or dinner tomorrow, or both, if you want to.”

Yuuri nodded, “Okay.” He agreed, placing the bags in the fridge. “Thank you again; you really didn’t ha-“

“Please, don’t finish that sentence.” Viktor protested, making Yuuri laugh.

“All right, all right, I won’t.” He relented, then worried his bottom lip slightly. “There’s still plenty left, though…”

Viktor cocked an eyebrow in amusement as Yuuri blushed again, “Are you saying you would like some help tomorrow evening?”

Yuuri’s best Cherrim-in-Overcast-Form-impression made a comeback, “…maybe?”

Viktor’s heart skipped a beat. Or two. He couldn’t stop grinning dspite his own cheeks sporting a heavy tinge of Jigglypuff-pink.

“If you keep inviting me over like this, I’m not sure you’ll get rid of me altogether soon enough.” He told the Dragon Master in a tone of mock seriousness, meaning every word. “I’ll gladly drop by again tomorrow night, it’s nice having some company. I mean, I love all my darlings, and I’m happy dining with them, too, but… you know…”

Yuuri returned the sheepish smile, “I do.” He scratched his neck, a glint of hopefulness in his eyes. “Then… see you tomorrow, I suppose.”

“Tomorrow.” Viktor confirmed, embracing him as per habit.

His heart and head were screaming at him to do _something_ , but he just didn’t have the guts to do what they were telling him. Therefore, he did the closest thing to it he could think of.

Not that he really was thinking any longer. He didn’t have the time, because his actions went purely on instinct.

He felt Yuuri’s whole body momentarily freezing and his cheek grow hot like an Overheated Charmeleon as he quickly pressed his lips to it. The shy, sweet smile he got in return was well worth it.

His lips didn’t stop tingling during the entire night, and he might or might not have screamed to Chris about it over the Xtransceiver when he returned home, because Yuuri’s adorable smile and irresistibly pink cheeks would be forever etched into his brain.

And if Yuuri went to sleep that night and found he actually couldn’t sleep at all because his heart was thumping a little too hard in his chest and because he was too busy smiling like an idiot into the pillow, he would never tell anyone about it. Not even Phichit.

…well, maybe he did tell Phichit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my Arceus, hello, I'm back!
> 
> I guessed Friday, and somehow made it despite the absolutely crazy schedule I've had since Eastern (I've literally traveled, and I'm not kidding, 1000 km during this week only, and I've still got 300 km to go on Sunday; I've made some crazy choices of professions, I'm afraid...).
> 
> So sorry it took so long! Now I'm attending a bunch of dance classes and meetings during the weekend (again, I chose some silly professions, and yes, it's plural), but I'll hopefully be back to writing and editing by the beginning of next week, so hopefully, I'll get chapter 21 up on Tuesday before I have to travel yet another 400 km on Wednesday... *insert heavy sigh here*
> 
> Fingers crossed!
> 
> Many, many, many hugs to all of you, I haven't abandoned you, I swear! ^.^ Hugs! <3


	21. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor and Yuuri prepare for the Pokémon League Tournament and the impending double battle with Phoebe and Glacia, Phichit prepares on taking on the Hoenn Elite Four (and champion), and Chris attempts to prepare Viktor's future, whether he likes it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to switch the rating just in case. The language is perhaps leaning more towards T and G by this point...

“You wouldn’t happen to know… you know…” Viktor fidgeted with his chopsticks, poking around in his stir-fry, “…about Phoebe’s wish for a double battle?”

“Oh,” Yuuri blinked in recognition, swallowing the piece of asparagus he had just popped into his mouth, “yeah, that. She’ll probably ask about it constantly, but she would never push. Like she said; when we think we’re ready.”

“Or rather, when _you_ think we’re ready.” Viktor corrected him with a slightly sheepish grin, making the Dragon Master on the opposite side of the table blush adorably. “But I’ve given it some thought, and…” he shrugged, “…well, I’m not ready yet, but I’d like to try.”

Yuuri’s maroon eyes lit up and his lips stretched into a small smile, “We need to practice, then.” He pondered for a moment. “Maybe we should team up our Pokémon tomorrow and see how they actually work together rather than against each other, and then go from there?”

Viktor’s aquamarines sparkled in excitement, “They’d love that!” but then, a small frown former on his features, “…but I only have five Pokémon…”

Yuuri let out a small laugh, “I don’t think I can pair up Hydreigon with anyone else but Altaria.”

“Oh,” Viktor laughed in turn, “that’s true.” He tilted his head slightly. “So, maybe Weavile with Haxorus and Froslass with Flygon, as we discussed back then, and then Lapras and Dragonite, of course.”

“That pretty much leaves Altaria to pair up with Ninetales, and… well…” Yuuri grinned. Viktor blinked, confused for half a second before bursting into the silver-bell laughter that never failed to send the Dragon Master’s heart galloping away on a Tauros.

“Katya’s going to be thrilled!” he beamed brightly, “And it’s definitely going to be interesting.”

“To be honest, I think they’ll work well together.” Yuuri admitted, willing his heart-rate to slow down at least a little. “Salamence is careful with her as she’s much, much smaller, and Katya has some really good special attacks in her moveset to use from a distance. Taking aim from Salamence’s back could be a winner for them.”

Viktor nodded in agreement, “It’s going to be quite a sight; and you’re probably right, they’ll most likely work well together. As for Katya’s special attacks,” his face broke into a grin, “we’ve been practicing the two new ones you suggested we should add to her moveset, and I think she’s getting ready to use them in battle soon. We already incorporated a lighter version of Synchronoise into one of her new routines.”

Yuuri grinned back, “Glad to hear they’re working out for you; Katya has a high special attack stat; it would be a shame not to use it to its full potential.” He cocked an eyebrow. “So, Synchronoise is working fine, then? What about the…” he tilted his head in innocent amusement, causing Viktor’s heart to not even speed up but run away altogether, “…other one?”

The Top Coordinator gave him a wink, placing down his chopsticks as he was done eating, “Synchronoise is coming along nicely, yes, it shatters ice easily and makes the floor of the training court vibrate… and shakes dust from the ceiling, I’ll have to ask them if they can get it cleaned somehow. As for the, as you called it, _other one_ ,” he leaned forward over the table slightly, theatrically lowering his voice, “I think you’ll approve of our progress. It could have a bit better range and power still, but it’s definitely getting there.”

Yuuir hummed, taking a sip of his wine, “Are you planning on incorporating it in a routine?”

Viktor’s eyes sparkled as he nodded eagerly, “I’d like to do that, preferably towards the end of the season. It’s one of those moves that I’d like to save for the Grand Festivals, you know? It looks _amazing_ , given how small Katya is.”

The Dragon Master let out a laugh, “All the more impressive.”

The Top Coordinator smirked, “Exactly. Dessert?”

Yuuri smiled, “Their matcha cheesecake is amazing.”

Viktor grinned, “Well, then, let’s have a couple of slices.”

After having made Yuuri both pirozhki and ratatouille during the week, eating out was definitely a welcome change for Viktor. Even if Yuuri insisted he was paying.

 

**

 

“How do we do this?”

Yuuri fidgeted with the third PokéBall in his training belt, worrying his bottom lip as he pondered. Viktor waited patiently while the Dragon Master’s mind tried working out the best possible solution to get their Pokémon to understand what they wanted them to do.

“…it’s a bit tricky,” he admitted slowly, pulling out the third and the fifth ball from his belt after a long moment of careful consideration, “because we want them to team up between teams and then spar against each other… I haven’t really done it like this before, teaming up with another trainer like this. I took part in one double battle with Phichit back in Alola, but we just jumped right into it and didn’t practice, as it was just against a couple of other wandering trainers, you know?” he paused, then decided: “Send out Lapras and Ninetales first. Let’s have them start with Dragonite and Altaria, and then go from there. It should help the others to figure out what we’re trying to do.”

Viktor nodded in understanding and agreement, pulling out the second and the third PokéBall from his own belt. Yuuri did make a good point. Lapras, Dragonite, Ninetales and Altaria were quite possibly the four most intelligent Pokémon they had on their teams, and also the most patient ones. Surely, they could help their teammates understand what it was their trainers wanted them to do.

As predicted, the four Pokémon quickly caught on to what they were supposed to do and teamed up accordingly, placing themselves on opposite sides of the Elite Four Leader’s training court while Yuuri and Viktor stood on the sideline in the middle to keep an eye on all of them. The fact that the Pokémon understood that their trainers simply wanted them to spar without even having to tell them that made Yuuri and Viktor’s job all the more easy.

As they had guessed, Dragonite and Lapras worked together like a well-oiled machine, as if they could read each other’s minds. Dragonite was also strong enough to lift Lapras, much to Viktor’s amazement as Lapras was only slightly smaller than Dragonite and about the same weight. Perhaps it was good that Yuuri’s Dragonite was a little bigger than average and Viktor’s Lapras slightly smaller in turn. Despite that, Lapras was also strong enough to support Dragonite’s weight on her back, making them a destructive force on the battle field as the dragon flapped her wings to propel them forward across the icy floor Lapras created using Ice Beam as they went.

Ninetales and Altaria were smaller and more agile than their opponent, and were also quick to adjust to each other. Altaria was able to carry Ninetales on her back as she flew, and they managed to dodge attacks with a graceful ease that threatened to make Viktor’s eyes water with emotion. It looked like they were performing a well-practiced choreography, even though they perhaps weren’t quite able to read each other fully like Dragonite and Lapras seemed to be able to, but they had each other’s backs and were willing to co-operate, which was a good start.

About halfway through the sparring session, Yuuri suggested they should let the rest of their Pokémon out of their PokéBalls to get used to the idea of it all.

Even Hydreigon.

“You only have five Pokémon, as you said.” Yuuri shrugged when Viktor curiously asked about it. “Altaria can pair up with him against Katya and Salamence.”

When the trainers deemed the first sparring session over and done with, they let Haxorus team up with Weavile and Flygon with Froslass, but they only had to observe for about five minutes before Yuuri suddenly called them to a pause. Viktor blinked in confusion.

“What is it?”

“I just…” Yuuri frowned slightly, then nodded decisively, “Haxorus and Flygon, switch sides.”

“Oh,” Viktor tilted his head slightly as the two dragons did as told, changing sides and thereby battle partners, “why?”

“They’re a bit tricky to match up.” Yuuri pondered, a slight crease on his brow still. “They all have quite high speed stats, and they’re all more attack-oriented than defensive. I think they’ll be a little more balanced this way, though, since both Haxorus and Weavile have _very_ high attack stats and they don’t really need to be on the same team, and besides, Flygon can better match Weavile in speed than Haxorus can. Let’s see how it goes.” He turned to Viktor and cocked an eyebrow. “Do you think Froslass can levitate Haxorus?”

Vitkor grinned, “She can lift heavy stone blocks. I’m sure she can handle Haxorus.”

As it turned out, Froslass could very well handle Haxorus. Soon enough, he was hoisted into the air by an invisible force and managed to gain enough height to perform an Aerial Ace, much to the delight of both their trainers. Flygon and Weavile did also, as Yuuri apparently had dared hope, become a downright dangerous duo, with Weavile’s speed and Flygon’s agile and quick movements. Added to the fact that they were both mischievous troublemakers, they really gave their opponents a run for their money.

“I think they do work better like this.” Viktor noted as Flygon swooped down to allow Weavile to jump onto his back so the part dark-type could gain some height for an Aerial Ace of his own. “They seem to be communicating better with each other like this, too.”

“True.” Yuuri agreed, watching as Haxorus used Endure and took the entire impact of Weavile’s attack with his armored body and saving Froslass from the impact. “Flygon has an easier time keeping up with Weavile than Haxorus had, apparently, while Haxorus on the other hand seems to be able to predict Froslass’ movements better.”

Just as he had spoken, Haxorus used Sunny Day while Froslass built up a Weather Ball, sending the flaming sphere in a direct line towards Weavile, who was saved by Flygon picking him up from the ground again.

“…your Pokémon are basically powering up and saving my team’s behinds.” Viktor stated sheepishly, making Yuuri laugh.

“Your team is definitely giving mine a boost, too, though. And it seems to be working well.”

After about an hour of observing their Pokémon getting used to working with each other with only occasional inputs from their trainers, Yuuri and Viktor decided to try the last pairing as well. With Hydreigon and Altaria ready to go on one side of the field…

“Okay, well,” Yuuri tried to suppress his smile, while Viktor already had failed spectacularly as he watched the enormous dragon stand beside the tiny little Glaceon, “…try sparring against Hydreigon and Altaria for a bit, all right? Salamence, be careful not to target Katya with any fire-type moves, and make sure to keep her within your field of perception at all times.”

“Saaalamence.” The dragon rumbled, the floor vibrating slightly with his deep, bottomless voice. Viktor’s whole body went momentarily rigid as the sound resonated through it, making him shiver, but Yuuri seemed to be immune to the effects.

Because of course he was.

“You’re good to go, then.” He simply told the Pokémon.

Altaria and Hydreigon, being a well-coordinated team from the beginning, quickly got themselves organized, functioning like clockwork as they defended and attacked like they were mentally connected (which they might as well have been, as they seemed to read each other like open books).

Salamence and Katya, however…

“I might have to reconsider my choices of Pokémon against Phoebe and Glacia.” Viktor admitted, wide-eyed. “I think I’ll have to leave Froslass on the sideline.”

“Yeah.” Yuuri agreed, amazed. “Haxorus might have to sit out the battle, it seems.”

It probably shouldn’t have worked, and it probably should have been an impossible combination, but Salamence and Katya had apparently in mutual understanding decided to prove the universe wrong against all odds. Katya perched herself on top Salamecne’s head, which gave her an enormously good range for her long-range attacks, and Salamence could easily help her further with the accuracy as he had better vision and could adjust his head towards the target.

Yuuri tapped Viktor on the shoulder to gain his attention, “Order Katya to use Ice Beam.” He told him quickly, before calling out to his dragon: “Salamence, use Hydro Pump!”

Vitkor caught on, “Katya, Ice Beam!”

Altaria and Hydreigon dodged, but the damage could be seen on the battle court nevertheless.

“It’s definitely more devastating than her Ice Beam on its own.” Viktor commented, looking at the gaping hole in the floor. “Will you be able to fix that?”

“It’s no trouble.” Yuuri waved it off. “These courts are designed to be easily patched up, and with a little help from Flygon, we’ll have it done in no time. And yes, I thought that Hydro Pump and Ice Beam together would make a strong special attack; they seemingly do.” He pondered for a moment. “Salamence is more of a physical attacker, though, so maybe we could combine Katya’s strength with his somehow.” He paused again. “She has quite a high defense stat, too, doesn’t she?”

“The highest on the team.” Viktor confirmed.

Yuuri nodded, “Salamence’s defense and special defense are quite average, but he has a high attack, speed, and special attack stat. If he can give Katya more speed and a power boost…”

“Not to mention when he Mega Evolves…” Viktor mirrored the grin spreading on the Dragon Master’s face, “And to think we thought Dragonite and Lapras was our ace team.”

Yuuri laughed, “I think we were mistaken.”

 

“So, um…” Yuuri fidgeted with the hems of his sleeves as Viktor was about to head home for the evening, their PokéBalls filled with sleeping Pokémon, “dinner tomorrow? Y-you don’t need to bring anything, I’m good!” he quickly added, sporting a Cherubi-bright blush, “B-but still?”

Viktor’s head probably tried to loudly warn him Yuuri clearly was trying to kill him with Cute Charm, but he could care less as he pulled the boy to his chest, kissing his flaming cheek as he was completely unable to help himself.

“Gladly; I’ve gotten used to having dinner with you, really.” Viktor reasoned into the fabric of Yuuri’s oversized t-shirt, trying to ignore the fact that his mouth was literally watering at the sight of exposed, soft skin well within his reach. “I’d like to continue that. Are you sure I don’t need to bring anything?”

Despite the cherry blush, Yuuri smiled softly and nodded, “I’m sure.”

 

**

 

“Yuuri?” Drake looked up from his desk, a glimmer of surprise in his eyes, “You’re early today.”

“Oh, um, yes,” the younger Dragon Master scratched his neck sheepishly, “I thought I’d come in a little earlier; if it’s be okay for me to leave a little sooner as well…?”

It was half a question. Drake chuckled.

“Of course it is.” He replied, gesturing towards Yuuri’s desk in the corner. “It shouldn’t take too long for you to get the work done today, and you should still have plenty of time to spar with Phoebe as planned in the afternoon.”

Yuuri, grateful that Drake didn’t ask any further questions, headed over to his work station with a ‘thank you’.

Outwardly, he was only a little more fidgety than usual. Inwardly, he was screaming.

 

“ _We made it!_ ” Phichit cheered on the screen of Yuuri’s Xtransceiver, beaming brighter than the Alolan sun with a proud Togedemaru perched on his shoulder, “ _Watch out, dragonboy; Team Steel is coming for the League next!_ ”

“Finally!” Yuuri grinned, leaning back on the grass while scratching the fur around Hydreigon’s middle neck, Altaria humming softly beside the part dark-type on the other side, “You’ll have just enough time to challenge them before it’s time for the Pokémon League Tournament.”

“ _That’s what we call last-minute-practice._ ” Phichit grinned. “ _Lucario took out Milotic with Focus Blast right before she got the chance to use Disarming Voice; we managed to work around both that and the Refresh this time._ ”

“Nicely done.” Yuuri approved. “You’re definitely ready to challenge the Elite Four, then.”

“ _I hope so!_ ” the Alolan chirped, tilting his head slightly, “ _Any advice, Mister Master Trainer, or is it classified information?_ ”

Yuuri blinked, “Don’t be ridiculous. Lucario, Scizor and Mawile are all good choices against Sidney, as long as you keep all of them away from Absol’s Flamethrower.”

“ _Of course it knows Flamethrower of all things…_ ”

“Phoebe is trickier for you, though, but Lucario has at least Dark Pulse that should be the ace up your sleeve, and if you can get Mawile to set up a Misty terrain against Sableye and then use Fairy Wind and Play rough, you should do well enough against her.” He paused. “She has a Chandelure, though. Be careful.”

“ _Great… noted. And Glacia?_ ”

Yuuri hummed, “You might want to remember that Beartic has Brick Break… and that Abomasnow knows earthquake, but Skarmory should do okay against him. As for Drake, most of his Pokémon you’re somewhat familiar with due to my team, but he also has a Kingdra and a Dragalge that you’ll have to look out for… not that they should pose too much of a threat. Dragalge knows Thunderbolt.”

“ _And at least Flygon and Salamence know Flamethrower?_ ”

“They do.” Yuuri confirmed. “And Haxorus knows Earthquake.”

Phichit sighed, “ _Right. And if I should somehow by the strand of a hair make it to the champion?_ ”

“You’ll hit a brick wall, or a steel one, really.” Yuuri smiled sheepishly at Phichit’s helpless expression. “And there’s no knowing exactly what composition of Pokémon he’ll use; he switches often.”

“ _So, only Metagross is a given?_ ”

“Let’s say that Skarmory, Claydol, Aggron and Metagross are more or less confirmed.” Yuuri pondered. “But then he also has Carbink, Aerodactyl, Armaldo and Lileep, so…”

“ _…is that the Aerodactyl with Fire Fang?_ ” the Dragon Master nodded, making Phichit groan, “ _I don’t really stand a chance, do I?_ ”

“Honestly? There aren’t many who do. Steven might be the strongest League Champion there is at the moment, even though Cynthia and Lance certainly could give him a run for his money.”

“ _And you_ beat _this guy?_ ” Phichit shook his head in disbelief while Yuuri’s cheeks used Flame Burst on their own accord, “ _What’s your secret, Katsuki? Anyway,_ ” he continued before Yuuri got the chance to protest, “ _what are you planning to woo pretty boy with tonight?_ ” he winked, “ _Food and shooting stars?_ ”

The Dragon Master was about to splutter and protest as per habit, but to Phichit’s enormous surprise, he paused instead, falling silent.

“…the Suicuneoids are tonight, aren’t they?” he murmured quietly. Phichit’s face broke into a Gengarly grin.

“ _Are you going to wish upon a star for a kiss? I bet your boyfriend is going to._ ”

“He’s _not_ my boyfriend!”

 

**

 

“You’ve improved.”

Viktor blinked, looking up at Chaz while treating Ninetales with one last PokéPuff, “Improved?”

“Your battling.” Chaz clarified, gesturing towards his poor Macherie the Makuhita, who was relatively well-preserved but definitely needed to visit the Lilycove Contest Hall Healing Station. “Your style is more refined; you’ve obviously been practicing that part a bit more this time around.” He nodded in approval. “Good choice.”

“Oh,” Viktor blinked, then grinned, “yeah, we’ve been practicing. I’m glad to hear it shows.”

Chaz hummed, “It does.” He frowned slightly. “Now that you mention it, there’s something definitely recognizable about your battle style, and it’s not all Wallace shining through… or your former battle mentor, either. It’s… different from before.”

Viktor attempted to hide a blush by letting his hair loose, silver strands covering his cheeks as he bowed his head slightly, trying to make it look like he was inspecting Ninetales’ paws, “We’ve been trying out a few new techniques.”

The other Top Coordinator cocked an eyebrow, “Undeniably.”

He left with an unsaid _I’m going to find out_ hanging in the air, which Viktor heard all too loud and clear.

And truth be told, he didn’t exactly know if he actually cared about keeping the cause of his improving battle skills a secret all that much, but Yuuri might have preferred he didn’t mention it. Maybe it was better not to tell.

Speaking of Yuuri…

…what was he planning?

 

“ _So, your progress is definitely showing, then?_ ” Chris grinned, stretched out in his mostly un-clothed glory on a towel laid atop soft, golden sand, shielded only by sunscreen and the parasol above him, “ _Sounds like the Master Rank is going to be some real competition. Watch it, I’m joining you there the next season._ ”

“I’m looking forward getting to kick your precious ass.” Viktor grinned back, to which Chris responded by blowing him a kiss. “But yeah, according to Chaz, it definitely shows that we’ve been honing our battling skills.”

“ _Well that’s good, n'est-ce pas?_ ” Chris winked, “ _and now dragonboy has invited you over tonight as well. Think he’s making you dinner?_ ”

“Let’s say I have a hunch.” Viktor admitted a little sheepishly. “But he’s full of surprises. I always think he’s going to do something, and then he either does both that and something else, or then he does something completely different.” He paused. “I’d really like to know what’s going on in his head.”

“ _You should ask._ ”

Viktor blushed brightly, “I can’t just _ask_ him if the invitation tonight or the one to the Pokémon League Tournament were intended as dates!”

“ _Well,_ ” Chris examined his nails, “ _you still should._ ”

“You’re no help.”

“ _Best worst friend, mon chéri_.” The Kalosian reminded him, batting his eyelashes sweetly. “ _Have you stolen a kiss yet?_ ”

Viktor glared at him, frowning, “Screw you.”

Chris laughed, “ _Non, non, non, mon amour; you’re supposed to screw_ him _, not me._ ”

“ _Chris!_ ”

“ _Oh, sorry, did I get that the wrong way around? You want him to screw_ you? _”_

“Why do I even _talk_ to you?!”

 

**

 

Yuuri placed the lid on the rice and sighed deeply, thanking Arceus he had been helping his mother in the kitchen since he was a child whenever she made katsudon, all due to the fact that it was his all-time favorite dish. The skills that had come with it had served him well during his travels over the years, when he realized he could actually make food and not only have to live on canned beans and cup noodles. With some advice for his mother, in hindsight, he had faired quite well nutrition-wise.

And that acquired cooking skill certainly served him well at the present, because he was dead-set on serving Viktor katsudon. It was a dish he knew tasted good enough, and as Viktor had served him both pirozhki and ratatouille the previous week… well, he could only hope the Top Coordinator would like it.

The doubt was a lump in his throat, a heavy weight in his gut and weeds in his head. It wasn’t Hiroko Katsuki’s katsudon, but it was as close as he could possibly get to it.

Yuuri pulled out eleven bowls from the cupboard, six for his own team and five for Viktor’s, and began preparing the food for his Pokémon while anxiously glancing at the clock on the wall above the couch, the arms inching towards half-past eight.

He didn’t even notice the small smile forming on his lips as he poured a bunch of XXXXL-puffs into Salamence’s bowl.

He would show up any minute.

 

Viktor knocked on the door before letting himself in, just to give Yuuri a second of warning. Then, he realized _he_ was the one that would have been in need of a warning, because Yuuri was standing by the kitchenette, wearing yet another oversized t-shirt that always gave Viktor some terribly serious problems. Multiple. On top of it all, the Dragon Master was sporting an adorable Cherubi-pink blush.

And on top of _that_ , the entire apartment smelled amazing.

“H-hi!” Yuuri greeted nervously, but there was a shy smile on his lips as his eyes sparkled in… excitement? “I-I thought…” he blushed even brighter, and Viktor struggled to keep his heart on the inside of his chest as it threatened to Hammer Arm itself through the ribcage, “…I thought it was my turn.”

Viktor felt heat creeping to his own cheeks as he smiled back, “I swear I’m not going to say what I’ve told you not to say about a hundred times last week.”

Some of the tension visibly left Yuuri’s shoulders as he let out a somewhat relieved laugh, “I wanted to thank you… somehow.”

 _You took me to a restaurant on Friday, silly!_ Viktor’s head told him to protest, but he swallowed the protest to humor Yuuri. Instead, he tilted his head, “It smells amazing. Pokémon first?”

Yuuri smiled back, “Always.”

 

Viktor only had to _look_ at the food in front of him to know it would taste absolutely and fabulously amazing. It already smelled fantastic, and it looked positively delicious.

“What is it?” he asked curiously, meeting Yuuri’s nervous, chocolate eyes. The Dragon Master blushed like the Alolan sunset.

“I-it’s called katsudon. There’s rice, onions, Swellow egg, and vegetables… and soy and mirin sauce.” He fidgeted with his sleeves, averting his gaze as his cheeks burned like Charizard’s tail. “…hope you like it.”

Viktor picked a bite of everything he could manage to catch with his chopsticks in one go before placing it in his mouth under Yuuri’s anxious gaze.

He wouldn’t have needed to worry.

“It’s _delicious!_ ” Viktor exclaimed as the burst of flavors on his tongue only made him salivate more, “This must be what Arceus eats!”

Yuuri was momentarily unable to respond due to Overheat, but he was smiling through his fingers nevertheless.

“…glad you like it.” He finally managed to squeak before tucking in on his own food. “I-it’s… my favorite dish…”

Well, _that_ should have been a given, Viktor thought, as he could very well picture himself ordering katsudon at a restaurant and be perfectly happy with it. Although it probably wouldn’t taste as good as Yuuri’s.

“Something you’ve brought with you from home?” Viktor guessed, tilting his head curiously.

Yuuri nodded, “Mum makes it the best, but I try.”

Viktor smiled in understanding, “Yeah, I could never beat mama’s pirozhki, either.” He paused. “Oh, and speaking of home and remembering my papa and thereby upcoming events; I rescheduled some practice sessions so I can stay a little longer at the Pokémon League Tournament, but I still can’t make it on the Thursday before the Tournament starts. I could book a ticket for Friday morning, though.”

Yuuri hummed, “I can meet you at the station, then. I need to go on Thursday with Phichit; he wanted me to be there for the challenger registration.” He looked up from his food. “How long can you stay?”

“I should be able to stay right until the Elite Four-rounds, but then I have to get back.” There was a tinge of sadness in his eyes for a brief moment. “It’s so close to the contest season. I’d like to stay longer, though.”

Yuuri mirrored his sad smile, “Another time, maybe.”

Viktor skillfully managed to not show his heart had used High Jump Kick on his throat.

_Another time?_

Attempting to wrap his head around the implication that whatever they were doing presently wasn’t anything temporary, he swallowed another mouthful of food before speaking again:

“Another time, then.” He agreed, hoping Yuuri wouldn’t notice the slight breathlessness in his voice. “And what about the hotel arrangements, by the way? Did you find out how they’ve planned it for us?”

“Ah, well,” Viktor’s heart didn’t give him a break as Yuuri’s cheeks did a fabulously accurate impression of a tomato, “i-it’s going to be crowded with the Tournament going on, and the hotels closest to the arena are reserved for the League-representatives and the challengers, and everywhere else is also quite full, so…” he worried his bottom lip and averted his gaze, “…wehavetosharearoom.”

Yuuri Katsuki was definitely going to be the end of Viktor Nikiforov, and the boy seemed to absolutely not understand that he was a ticking time bomb for Viktor’s impending doom. He just couldn’t _say_ things like that while looking so utterly adorable that the Top Coordinator gladly would give up all katsudon and pirozhki forever and just eat him instead. It was _not_ good for several of his bodily organs.

And speaking of eating Yuuri, the Dragon Master was probably waiting for Viktor to say something. While he had a hard time finding his tongue (and all things filed under Coherent Thoughts), the heart-shaped smile came more easily. Because, really, he was over the moon.

“Okay!” he chirped, even though _no, it wasn’t_ , because he was going to die several times over if he had to see Yuuri walk around half asleep in the mornings dressed in those infuriating oversized t-shirts, “That’s cool, I don’t mind.”

Yuuri blinked, fidgeting with his chopsticks, “Y-you… don’t mind?”

“Of course not.” Viktor reassured him (and himself), trying not to listen to the warning bells in his head. “I’ve shared rooms with people before, you know.”

“Oh, o-of course.” Yuuri quickly nodded in understanding, cheeks still aflame. “I-I’ve only ever really shared with Phichit, and a few times with Lance when it was really crowded at the Pokémon Centers…”

Viktor cocked an eyebrow, “The challengers stay in single rooms during the Tournament?”

“Yeah,” Yuuri confirmed, “to prevent sabotage.”

 _Of course_ , Viktor thought, watching Yuuri empty his bowl of katsudon, _that’s why I’ve been allowed to room with Chris… he’s a rank beneath, still_.

 

“Wow!” Viktor laughed, amazed, watching yet another shooting star cross the sky and disappear out of sight, “I don’t think I’ve seen a meteor shower since I was a kid.” He turned his head to look at the Dragon Master lying beside him on the grass. “I’ve heard you can get a really good view for some meteor showers from the Mossdeep Space Center, is it true?”

“It is.” Yuuri confirmed, turning his head as well to meet Viktor’s aquamarine gaze. “The Litleonids give the best view, and then the Suicuneoids, of course… and then the Taurusonids. There are probably more to choose from.”

Viktor hummed, looking back up at the sky. They watched the shooting stars in silence for a while before he spoke again:

“Have you ever seen the northern lights?”

Yuuri shook his head, “No. It wasn’t quite the season for those when I visited Snowpoint… but they’re probably worth experiencing.”

Viktor nodded, “They are. They’re always quite a sight, no matter how used to it you grow.”

The Dragon Master hummed, “Is that why you like Aurora Veil so much?”

Viktor’s breath caught in his throat, “M-maybe.” _Damn, stutter!_ “Probably. How did you know?”

Had it been lighter outside, Yuuri’s flaming cheeks would have been more visible, “You always use Aurora Veil in one way or another in almost every routine. I figured it was one of your favorite moves.”

“I guess I miss the northern lights.” Viktor admitted, willing his breathing a keep steady. “What’s yours? Dragon Pulse?”

Yuuri frowned slightly, worrying his bottom lip, “Maybe… I haven’t really thought about it, to be honest. Dragon Pulse is definitely in the top five, though.” He turned his head again. “But the one I liked teaching them the most was definitely Draco Meteor.”

Viktor let out a tingling laugh, making Salamence’s nostrils flare in his sleep as Katya stirred slightly on his head, “I can imagine. Where did you find the space to do it, anyway?”

Yuuri grinned, “Poni Island in Alola, and then a small island not too far from Pacifidlog. We still go there every time we need to practice it, mostly for Mega Altaria and Mega Salamence’s sake, though.”

The Top Coordinator tilted his head as best he could, “Show me sometime?”

Yuuri blinked, “You want to…?” then, he grinned, “Bring a pair of goggles; it tends to get dusty.”

Viktor grinned back, “I’ll make sure to bring goggles.”

Yuuri laughed, looking up at the sky again. Viktor, on the other hand, glanced downwards.

If he moved his own hand just a little… Yuuri’s was just within reach…

He took a deep breath and was about to swallow his pride and just do as his body was telling him to when a deep, guttural growl from the direction of the sleeping Pokémon made him stop mid-motion and Yuuri sit up immediately.

“Salamence?” he blinked, getting up and walking over to the dragon, who was peering at his trainer and Viktor with one, pitch black eye, “What’s wrong?”

Salamence rumbled, one crimson wing sweeping down to envelop his very confused trainer in it.

Viktor let out a deep, internal sigh.

Right. It wasn’t going to be easy, was it?

Damn that Dragon Master and his all too well-trained Pokémon.

 

**

 

“I’m burning up! Or if I’m not, I’m soon going to.”

Chris cocked an eyebrow, “ _Do you have a fever?_ ”

“It’s life threatening, I swear!” Viktor whined, slumping over the kitchen island as he attempted to calm his wildly beating heart and will the disappointment in his gut to go away, even though it seemingly wasn’t working, “His biggest, scariest dragon wants to kill me, and the boy himself needs neon warning signs!”

“ _Oh?_ ” the Kalosian grinned, an amused twinkle in his eye, “ _Well, firstly, why does his super scary Salamence want to kill you?_ ”

“I swear I was only _thinking_ about actually doing something and take his hand when the dragon started growling.” Viktor groaned.

Chris’ grin turned Gengarly, “ _And what did dragonboy do, then?_ ”

“He made me dinner and took me outside to watch the Suicuneoids, and…” Viktor took a sip of his tea, burying his face momentarily.

“ _’And’? Nikforov, speak this instant!_ ”

“…hekissedmycheek.”

Having deciphered Flustered Viktor to a more comprehensible language, Chris burst out laughing.

“ _And you’re burning up because of_ that? _Mon Xerneas, how are you going to survive?_ ”

“I’m not.” Viktor concluded. “And I have to share a hotel room with him in Slateport. If he doesn’t kill me first, Salamence certainly will. Did you get me that tombstone?”

“ _I took the liberty of booking a date for your wedding._ ”

Viktor’s eyes shot daggers while the Kalosian’s shoulders shook with laughter, “No.”

“ _Look, mon chéri, at least ask him on a proper date before you die, d’accord? Why not take the chance during the Tournament? Keep your Pokémon in their PokéBalls; Slateport has a nice museum and all._ ”

Viktor worried his bottom lip, pondering, “…I could do that?”

Chris shrugged, “ _Well, you wanted to have his enfants précieux…_ ”

“I did _not!_ ”

“ _I’m sure they’re all going to be trés adorable; and don’t worry, Uncle Chris can babysit._ ”

“For Arceus' sake, go to sleep!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! The week just blew right past, and I traveled half the country again (not really, but it was still another 1000 km...), but there we now have chapter 21.
> 
> ...poor Viktor.
> 
> And yes, the Pokémon League Tournament is coming up next, and actually, we're nearing the end of this part of the story, this... prequel before the prequel to Type Advantage. It's currently being written, so I should be able to continue fairly seamlessly when we get there.
> 
> And my last prediction about the update for this chapter didn't go too well, but I'll try again anyway. While I don't have to travel 1000 km next week (*phew!*) there's a lot going on this weekend... *clears throat* but if I don't lie dead on the couch after work on Tuesday (May 1st is a national holiday over here...), I'm aiming on having the next chapter up by Wednesday. If I've died (like Viktor is about to do), I'll return on Friday.
> 
> Thank you all once again and forever for all the encouragement! ^.^  
> And THANK YOU Hextraordinary for the adorable Alolan Vulpix! :D She's now level 36 and has just learned Ice Beam, and I kind of want to keep her a Vulpix until level 50 so she can learn Sheer Cold...
> 
> Have a nice weekend ^.^ Hugs! <3


	22. Slateport part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the calm (not really) before the storm (the Pokémon League Tournament). Phichit is nervous but excited, Yuuri is oblivious, and Viktor is... jealous?

“Don’t hold back, Yuuri!”

“Altaria, Moonblast!”

“Absol, dodge!” Sidney grinned at the Dragon Master across the field, “That’s more like it. You need to go all out on us now; how else are we going to see to it that Steven can basically lean back and relax during the Tournament? You’re our best shot at getting stronger defense-wise; the attack we can handle.”

“I seriously don’t understand why they place more focus on attack than defense at the trainer schools.” Yuuri sighed, shaking his head. “Altaria, use Disarming Voice!”

“I’m right here with you, Absol!” Sidney attempted to counter. The Hoenn Elite Four has essentially adapted Yuuri’s idea to teach their Pokémon code phrases to make them snap out of the effects of Disarming Voice faster, “Use Ice Beam!”

“Quell it with Flame Thrower, then use Dazzling Gleam!”

“Dark Pulse.” Sidney ordered Absol, making her use an offense-move in defense, keeping her eyesight. “Do you think we’re done?”

“I’d say so.” Yuuri agreed, coaxing Altaria down with a whistle, Poképuffs ready to go. “We still have a couple of sparring sessions to go with Altaria today, anyway.”

“I’m aware.” Sidney grinned apologetically, scratching Absol behind the ear while she munched down a handful of treats. “Still, don’t go easy on us, and not on the others either. We need that full-on dragon power from you to remind us we can still improve. Master Trainers tend to forget that too easily.”

Yuuri blushed, but hummed slightly anyway, “Isn’t that the entire point? To keep progressing for your team’s sake and your own? My dragons would never forgive me if I stopped giving them a challenge.”

“I’m sad to say there are cases where you would be thoroughly disappointed.” Sidney replied apologetically, a slight glint of sadness in his eyes. Yuuri sighed.

“I know.” He admitted. Sidney shrugged.

“Well,” he said, standing up straight, “the entire world probably does.”

 

“Lucario, Focus Blast!”

“Flygon, Bulldoze, then Sonic Boom!”

“Sheesh, Katsuki!” Phichit shrieked from the other side of the training court, as he had to order Lucario to jump _high_ in order to escape the eruption of dirt, making a deep crater in the ground, “What’s _that_ combination when you’ve got, you know, _Earth Power?_ Lucario, High Jump Kick!”

“Flygon, use Bulldoze again, then Fire Blast!”

“Oh, for _Arceus_ sake!” Phichit groaned in defeat, quickly recalling Lucario into his PokéBall before he crashed down into the furnace Flygon had created, “Well, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, isn’t that how the saying goes?” he grinned sheepishly, running a hand through his hair, “How are we doing, Mister Master Trainer?”

“Much better.” Yuuri replied sincerely while his cheeks turned a brighter shade of red, rewarding Flygon with PokéBeans, as he had come to prefer those over the regular puffs. “Lucario’s Close Combat could use some work, though; his accuracy isn’t as good at close range as it is at long range. He needs to learn how to identify where to place the hits and kicks, or they’re not going to do you any good. He barely gave Haxorus a scratch last week.”

Phichit gave him an incredulous look, “That dragon is made of _armor_.”

“I showed you where his weak spot is.”

“And you have also seen to it he doesn’t uncover it for a single second.” The Alolan reminded him as they walked over to the side to have a drink and a snack. “Drake, Drayden and Iris all use Haxoruses on their teams in the Tournament. What if I’m up against one of them?”

“You do realize there are other methods than Close Combat to deal with dragons, right?” Yuuri reminded him, making Phichit pause and laugh.

“Of course I do.” He remembered sheepishly. “I have Mawile and Sandslash. Nevermind.” He took a sip and pondered further. “Fire, fighting and ground are our biggest worries, so…” he furrowed his brows, “…there’s Blaine, and he has at least a Charizard that knows Earthquake, that much I know.”

“His Arcanine knows Bulldoze.” Yuuri supplied. “Brawly and Flannery are the ones you need to look out for from the Hoenn League.”

“Oh, Lunala, Flannery has a Camerupt!” Phichit remembered, burying his face in his hands, “I failed _so many times_ against that Pokémon I stopped counting after ten!”

“…you won on your ninth try.” Yuuri reminded him sheepishly. Phichit’s eyes lit up.

“I did?” he grinned, “Then I stopped counting after five. Who do I need to look out for among the gym leaders from the Sinnoh League? I haven’t had the time to challenge them yet.”

Yuuri hummed, pondering, “Maylene, she’s a Fighting Master. Lucario is her ace Pokémon, and he’s not to be messed with… then, she has a Machamp that knows Earthquake, a Medicham I believe knows Fire Punch, and…” he gave Phichit an apologetic look, “…an Infernape.”

Phichit gaped, “…I had kind of wanted to forget that. Okay!” he then chirped, clasping his hands together, “Then I _only_ have Clay and Korrina left to worry about, and that was only the gym leaders. And Korrina has a Lucario as her ace, too.” He then remembered with a sigh.

“Hey,” Yuuri attempted to encourage, even though Phichit was probably the most skilled person in the world when it came to picking himself off the ground, “You’ve won most of them once already. You can do it again.”

Despite his earlier worrying, Phichit’s face split into a grin, “Of course we can do it again; and one day, I’m going to face you in that Tournament, and you’re going down!”

Yuuri grinned back, “You’d better keep that promise.”

 

**

 

Katya and Ninetales sat on Viktor’s bed, the Glaceon flicking her tail while watching her trainer throw out half his wardrobe on the floor. Again. He had been doing that a lot as of late, to the point where even Ninetales became curious, or worried, enough to start spending more time in his room than in her cooler to keep an eye on him (and follow up on his sanity, too).

“Which one?” Viktor worried, placing one white and one magenta coat beside each other, pondering, “It’s going to be quite warm, isn’t it? Maybe it’s the wrong season…” he rummaged through the closet again, emerging with a lighter, white jacket in one hand a pink one in the other, “Which one?” he inquired his Pokémon again, “Both?” he worried his bottom lip, “I don’t have room…”

“Eon.” Katya replied. Viktor blinked.

“Niiine-tales.” Ninetales agreed.

Viktor sighed, “Yeah, I’d better call Chris.”

Katya leaned against Ninetales’ side as Viktor dialed Chris’ number, purring contentedly as her teammate made her fur freeze over in the spot Katya was pressing against, making it just a perfect temperature. The Glaceon showed gratitude by freezing her own fur in turn, making Ninetales give up a low, rumbling noise in content.

“ _Bonjour, mon chéri!_ ” Chris greeted before Viktor even had the time to start talking, “ _Are you dying today, too, by any chance?_ ”

“Funny.” Viktor replied plainly, but his cheeks tinted pink. “I recall _you_ were the one dying yesterday, if it has by any chance slipped your mind. I’m honestly surprised you picked up at all.”

Chris grinned, giving him a wink, “ _He’s sleeping in my bed, darling, I have time to talk. Or did you want details?_ ”

“Please, do keep them to yourself.” Viktor quickly told him, making Chris chuckle and lick his lips teasingly. “I’m packing.”

“ _Ah,_ ” the Kalosian understood with a nod, “ _well, if there’s one thing I_ can _do, it’s help you look fabulous._ ”

“Hence, I need your help.” Viktor sighed in relief, taking off his Xtransceiver to be able to show Chris the clothes (and the mess). “I can’t decide between these two jackets, apart from the one in pale violet I already decided to travel with.”

“ _White._ ” Chris replied easily. “ _It goes with most of your other clothes_.”

“Okay.” Viktor agreed, placing the magenta one back in the disaster that was his closet. “Which swimsuit? There’s a huge beach; there has to be _some_ time to visit it, right?”

“ _You look magnifique in all of them, chéri-moi._ ” the Kalosian assured him, but he was pondering thoroughly. He _did_ own about twice the amount of swimwear himself, after all. “ _But you look even better wearing mostly nothing. Take one of the thongs._ ”

“You don’t think that’s a bit too much?” Viktor hesitated, looking at the suggested swimwear that came in three different colors, “I mean… he’s really shy and private…”

“ _And I’m quite sure he wouldn’t complain._ ” Chris shrugged innocently. “ _But, sure, you could take the azure blue briefs with a Luvdisc pattern I bought you._ ”

“I’m trying to forget they exist.” Viktor groaned while the Kalosian absolutely lived off his misery, shoulders shaking with laughter. “But at least they cover my ass.”

“ _Your ass looks good in them, and they have a Luvdisc-print. You don’t need anything else._ ”

Viktor gave up a sigh, “…you’re persistent here, aren’t you? It’s either thongs or Luvdiscs.”

“ _Oui. Your other choices are no choices; they don’t look_ as _good on you. And I know you secretly like Luvdiscs._ ”

Viktor grumbled, “Fine, I’m wearing the Luvdiscs, only because you bought them. You’d better feel special.”

“ _I’m terribly flattered, darling._ ” Chris insisted. “ _What else?_ ”

“Nail-polish. I can’t decide, but at least I found this new one, Glacier Blue…”

Katya and Ninetales had fallen asleep.

 

**

 

“How does this work?” Phichit asked curiously, brimming with excitement and clutching Dedenne to his chest, Togedemaru and Emolga taking up the space on his shoulders, “I took off the Z-Ring like you told me to.”

“Just give them your trainer card to begin with.” Yuuri told him, opening the door to the registration area for him. “Then, they will to check the Pokémon you’re going to be using, and give you the rulebook. When you’ve gotten a green light, you get assigned a room at the closest hotel they have booked, and you’re free to book one session at a training court per day.”

“Okay,” Phichit nodded, looking around the clinically white (and frankly, quite boring) registration area, “Does it take long?”

“Depends on how long they’re going to examine your Pokémon, really.” Yuuri shrugged. “I’d guess they want to look more closely at Togedemaru and your Sandslash, as they’re native to Alola and quite an unusual sight around here.”

Phichit nodded, pulling out his trainer card before turning to Yuuri again, “I assume you won’t be joining me there?”

“I’m not allowed.” Yuuri told him apologetically. “I technically work for the Hoenn League, and only challengers are allowed beyond that point.” He indicated the roped area with the registration desks. “I have a sparring session with Drake coming up in twenty minutes, so I’m going to head over to the League-representative training area. I’ll be around.”

“Then I’ll see you later.” Phichit grinned, giving him a wink. “Wish me luck!”

 

“If everything goes as planned, this is the last time I’ll be competing in the Pokémon League Tournament.” Drake mused, arms crossed over his chest as his Salamence landed beside him, being almost a full meter shorter than Yuuri’s. “And hopefully, also the last time I’ll be competing in these kinds of events altogether.”

“So…” Yuuri fidgeted with the hems of his sleeves, partially enveloped in his own Salamence’s wing, “…I really should prepare for representing the League at the Hoenn League Tournament later this year?”

“Definitely.” Drake rumbled, chuckling slightly. “I’m aiming to pass on all the battling to you and mainly take care of the administrative work until I retire for real.” He gave Yuuri a pointed look. “ _All_ of the battling.”

The younger Dragon Master’s eyes widened, “…the… r-regular battles, too?”

“Exactly.” Drake confirmed with a nod. “So be prepared to step in from next year on… if not sooner. The Hoenn League Tournament could be a good rite of passage, to be honest.”

Yuuri left the training area feeling a little faint.

He had been prepared to take over the event battles, but not once had Drake mentioned he wanted Yuuri to actually take over the battling altogether. Or maybe he had, and Yuuri just had interpreted it wrong. Whichever way it was, reality hit him straight in the face like a Wake-Up Slap.

Before the year was over, he would be an official League-representative. He would become an official member of the Hoenn Elite Four.

And more than that, he would become their leader.

 

Yuuri met Phichit outside the registration area, where the Alolan proudly showed off his challenger pass and the Pokémon League’s seal of approval right at the bottom of the document he was attempting to neatly place in his backpack.

“I booked the training court for today at four.” He told Yuuri, glancing at his Xtransceiver. “We have just enough time for lunch before that.”

They headed to the hotel Phichit would be staying in to check in and drop off his things, and Yuuri suggested they should have lunch at Whirlpool Café by the harbor. Said and done, they headed there, and much to Yuuri’s relief, it was just as he remembered it: not too crowded, quite cozy, and as it was at some distance from the Tournament arena, there weren’t too many people there who were actually involved in the spectacle.

Yuuri ordered some sushi while Phichit settled for a bunch of waffles, and sat down by the window overlooking the Slateport harbor. Phichit immediately started bombarding Yuuri with questions about the rulebook he had been given, asking if there were any changes he didn’t know about, but Yuuri told him there hadn’t been any changes since the year before when they started allowing Mega Evolution, making the Alolan relax.

Suddenly, Phichit discreetly leaned over the table, lowering his voice:

“There’s a couple of guys at the table to the right… well, your left, behind you. They’ve been glancing over at us and whispering for the past ten minutes; I believe you’ve been recognized.”

Yuuri blushed furiously, burying his face in his hands, “…really?”

“Not kidding.” Phichit insisted with a grin. “They’re going to come over any minute now, you’ll see.”

“…thanks.”

Phichit gave him a reassuring smile, “Thought you’d like to know.”

Yuuri truly was grateful he had been told he might be approached. Phichit had learned from experience that Yuuri usually turned into a smoldering, blushing mess on the floor whenever anyone came up to him for an autograph or told him they were a fan. The Alolan always tried to give him some warning, and now that they were in the city that was hosting the Pokémon League Tournament for the year, Yuuri really should have been better prepared himself.

“Um, excuse me?”

Well, it certainly hadn’t taken long. Phichit smiled up at the boys while Yuuri turned his head to look at them with his wide, chocolate eyes. The taller, and seemingly older one, smiled broadly down at the Master Trainer while the younger one looked a tad shy, fidgeting with the hems of his oversized tracksuit jacket. The younger looked like he was Hoennian, or possibly from Johto, while the older one… probably was Unovan.

“May I help you?” Yuuri asked, cheeks already tinting pink, but managing to keep his voice steady.

The (most-likely) Unovan smiled warmly, “I’m so sorry to intrude like this, but we,” he indicated the shy boy beside him, who had to be in his early teens, “are huge fans of yours, Master Katsuki.” Yuuri managed not to cringe at the title that still felt so terribly unfamiliar to him… and somewhat uncomfortable. “Would you please sign this for me?”

Yuuri’s embarrassment was saved by the shy blush on the younger boy’s cheeks, and he found his lips curve into a reassuring smile as he accepted a marker from the Unovan, “Of course. What’s your name?”

“Leo.” He introduced himself, handing Yuuri a smaller, A4 poster of himself that had been made after the Tournament a couple of years back when he had beaten both Steven and Cynthia. He was posing with his entire team, sitting on Salamence’s back with Altaria and Hydreigon on either side, the others lined up in front of them; Dragonite to the left, Flygon in the middle and Haxorus to the right. He chose the upper right corner and placed his signature there, addressing it to Leo.

“There you go.” He nodded, handing the poster back and keeping the marker for the time being. Leo beamed at him.

“Thanks!” he grinned, nudging his friend. The shy boy stepped forward and carefully handed over an A4-poster of his own, one of the newer ones where Yuuri was posing with Hydreigon, arms crossed over his chest and the part dark-type behind him, one head over his right shoulder and two over his left, Yuuri gazing up at the blind dragon who was growling at the camera.

“Thank you.” The boy said shyly, a slight blush on his cheeks as he picked up a Pancham that had been pulling on his trouser-leg, clutching the Pokémon to his chest. “I’m Guang-Hong. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Yuuri fought a blush as he signed the poster, “Nice to meet you, too.” He replied as he handed the poster and the marker back to the boys. “Are you entering the Tournament?”

“I am.” Leo grinned, a Bronzor flying out from his bag to hover beside his head. “I tried convincing Guang-Hong to enter, too, but he wants to wait another year.”

“Where are you from?” Phichit asked curiously, tilting his head.

“I’m from Unova, Lentimas Town.” Leo replied, shaking hands with both Yuuri and Phichit. “And I know who you’re too, of course, forgive me my rudeness.”

“Not at all.” The Alolan grinned, gesturing to a couple of empty chairs right by their table. “I’m used to this in Yuuri’s company. What about you, Guang-Hong; where are you from?”

“Oh,” the boy blushed again, cradling Pancham to his chest, “I’m from Johto. Goldenrod.”

“Are you entering the Tournament?” Leo asked Phichit curiously, and got an excited nod in reply.

“You bet I am!” he confirmed, Togedemaru crossing his arms from where he was perched on the Alolan’s shoulder to make a point, “I haven’t had the time to challenge the Sinnoh League yet, but it will have to wait until after this.”

“Are you the first Alolan ever to enter the Pokémon League Tournament?” Guang-Hong asked quietly, but the curious glint in his eyes was well visible.

“Nope!” Phichit chirped with a wink, “Phoebe is from Alola, for example, but not many tend to remember that. And both Professor Kukui and pro golfer Kahili have entered the Tournament before.”

“Oh,” Leo realized, grinning as he apparently recalled Phoebe was Alolan, or perhaps that the professor and the golfer had indeed competed in the Tournament before, “true that. And is it true you train steel-types?”

“And electric-types, but Team Steel is the competitive group.” Phichit confirmed. “What about you?”

“Psychic-types.” Leo revealed, gesturing to the Bronzor hovering beside his head. “But I don’t have a completely fully evolved team yet. This little guy is still a basic.”

“What about you?” Yuuri asked the quiet Guang-Hong kindly, recognizing the nervous fidgeting all too well. The boy wanted to reply, too, but needed encouragement. Guang-Hong blushed slightly, but smiled fondly as he scratched Pancham behind the ear.

“Dark-types.” He replied, making Phichit cock an eyebrow in surprise. “I didn’t want to enter yet because both Pancham and Pupitar have yet to evolve. I can’t make it with only four fully-evolved Pokémon.”

“You have a _Pupitar?_ ” the Alolan gaped, eyes sparkling with excitement, “You’re going to _slay_ the competition with a Tyranitar! I’m rooting for you already.”

Guang-Hong turned a perfect Bounsweet-pink, “Thank you. I’ll probably enter next year… We have yet to face the Hoenn and Kalos leagues, Leo and I, and I haven’t been to Sinnoh yet, either.

“True.” Leo nodded in confirmation. “S,o we’re still a little behind in the badge count compared to Phichit here.”

“You know, I’m traveling to Sinnoh to face the League later in the summer, when Yuuri heads over there for the Battle Zone Master Challenge.” Phichit told the shy boy. “If you haven’t already made plans, maybe we should go together? This guy won’t have time to follow me around, anyway.”

Guang-Hong lit up, “I… I could do that?” he turned to Leo, “And then we can meet in Kalos like we planned to.”

“And then take on the Hoenn League in spring next year.” Leo pondered with an agreeing nod. “Why not? It’s always better to go together… and I was actually contemplating on entering the Battle Zone Master Challenge, too. I don’t know if I’ll stand a chance, but I think I’d like to try.” He looked over at Yuuri, tilting his head curiously. “Is it true? That you’re entering the Master Challenges this year instead of Drake?”

Yuuri nodded, “It is. I suppose I’ll be seeing you there, then.”

Leo grinned, “Maybe even on the battle court if I can make it to the Elite Four-round…” he frowned slightly, “…but that’s not what they’re called at the Master Challenges, right? That’s only during the Pokémon League Tournament and the individual League Tournaments...”

“No, it’s called the Elite Four-round in the Master Challenges as well.” Yuuri reminded him. “You’re perhaps thinking of the World Tournament?”

Leo snapped his fingers, “That’s the one.” He looked at Yuuri curiously again. “But what category do you even belong to? You’ve never participated in the World Tournament, but you’ve essentially beaten every League Representative Master Trainer there is. Do you know?”

Yuuri blushed crimson, “…I’m a Senior Representative.”

There was a stunned silence. Phichit recovered first:

“…because you’re Pokémon League Tournament Champion?” Yuuri nodded weakly, “Sheesh, Katsuki, stop giving me heart attacks. When did you find out?”

“Drake.” Yuuri shrugged. “He brought it up on Monday when we were discussing the tournament and told me those are the rules. With a champion title under my belt, I’m too high ranked in the system for the Master Representative-category… hence, I end up in the Senior one.”

“Right up there with every other champion, of course.” Leo nodded in understanding. “Do you know if you’ll be a ranking challenge or not?”

“They’re chosen randomly.” Yuuri revealed. “So, no one really knows until the tournament starts.”

“What’s a ranking challenger?” Phichit asked, tilting his head, “I watched a few matches from the World Tournament last year, so I know about the categories, but this part I’ve apparently missed.”

“It’s a challenger among the Representative-categories you go up against to advance a rank higher.” Leo explained. “So, if I enter the tournament, I need to face and win a Junior Representative to advance to the Junior-rank, and when I’m in the Junior-rank, I need to face and win a Master Representative to progress higher on the ladder.”

“Ah,” Phichit nodded in understanding, “So if I want to face Mister Master Trainer over there, I somehow need to make my way to the Senior-rank. Do you keep your rank if you lose and come back to try the following year?”

“Yeah,” Guang-Hong nodded, feeding Pancham a pitch-black PokéPuff to keep the apparently all-too energetic Pokémon still in his lap, “you don’t drop back down. If you’ve made it to the Master-rank, you stay there until you progress.”

“So, a little like contests, then.” Phichit reasoned, clasping his hands together. “Got it. Speaking of contests, Yuuri, when’s pretty boy arriving?”

“He’s got a name, Phichit.” Yuuri sighed, cheeks a bright Charmeleon red as Leo and Guang-Hong turned to look at him curiously. “Tomorrow morning; I’m meeting him at the station at eight.”

The Alolan grinned, “Then he’ll be able to witness up close when I attempt to win his dad in the afternoon.”

Yuuri couldn’t help but laugh, “What were the odds?”

“I know, right?” Phichit gave him a wink, “But apparently, my first challenge for my first Tournament is Ice Master Alexander. I hope pretty boy sides with me.”

“Alexander?” Leo pieced the information together, “Viktor Nikiforov is going to come and watch the Tournament this time? So close to the contest season?”

“Oh, he doesn’t mind.” Phichit replied before Yuuri got the chance. “He’s in love with Yuuri, you see.”

“ _Phichit!_ ”

Despite the teasing, making friends had been nice.

 

**

 

Viktor attempted to sleep on the bus, but as it seemed completely impossible, he gave up after a while and just leaned back, scratching a snoozing Katya behind the ear while listening to music and watching the landscape shift. He had gotten so used to flying around on Dragonite’s back with Yuuri that any other mode of transport seemed much more foreign than before, and he really hadn’t had to use the bus since the previous contest season.

He had completely forgotten how terribly boring it was. The only thought keeping him in high spirits was that Yuuri would be waiting for him.

Kind, adorable, amazing, utterly frustratingly blind Yuuri.

It must have been obvious to absolutely every being in existence by now that Viktor was completely gone for the boy, but the Dragon Master just didn’t seem to understand it himself. Or maybe he was just shy (highly likely, because Yuuri _was_ shy). Or maybe he only thought of Viktor as a friend (a little too likely). Or then he just didn’t like guys (and Viktor would grieve for the rest of his life).

Or… he didn’t feel the same.

Viktor didn’t want to consider that option at all, because it made his heart ache worse than option number three.

He was probably just shy, the coordinator told himself.

 _Just shy_.

And if that was the case, it meant Viktor would have to take that step, that final leap that would either have him soaring above the clouds or falling into the deepest pits of the Distortion World.

He didn’t even notice his heart speeding up and his hands trembling slightly in nervousness and anticipation.

_Why not take the chance during the Tournament?_

With Chris’ words echoing in his mind, Viktor sighed, pulling Katya closer, which made her nuzzle his chest in her sleep. If Yuuri was still in doubt, he had to make it obvious.

…without the reporters picking up too much.

 

“Viktor!”

The Sinnohan turned his head, spotting a familiar figure with jet-black hair by the station, waving at him. Viktor felt the grin on his lips before his feet began moving on their own accord to run over to the Dragon Master, letting go off his suitcase to envelop Yuuri in a hug.

“Yuuri!” he exclaimed happily, relishing the sensation of the Master Trainer’s arms around his middle, “I missed having dinner with you yesterday; it was terribly lonely! How am I going to survive going back to Lilycove without you?”

Yuuri blushed crimson, but Viktor swore he was smiling into the fabric of his icy blue jacket, “…I missed you, too.”

 _You’ve literally been apart for_ one day!, Viktor heard Chris’ voice in his head again, _How are you going to survive a week? And the contest season?_

He didn’t want to think about that at the moment. Nope. For now, he wanted to only think about the fact that Yuuri, still with his arms around Viktor, had created enough distance between them to smile up at him.

If he just leaned down a little, Viktor could easily kiss him…

“Hotel first.” Yuuri decided, letting go off the coordinator and gesturing to his bags. “Can I help with anything?”

After some useless protests from Viktor, Yuuri managed to get away with carrying his duffel bag.

“So, what’s the plan for today, anyway?” he asked the Dragon Master as they made their way to the hotel.

Yuuri hummed, “Well, we go to the hotel and then have a… second breakfast, I guess, something to eat before the battles start. We should have time to meet and greet the others during lunch… and probably for dinner, too, to be honest.” He grinned. “Phichit’s first battle is against your dad in the afternoon.”

Viktor lit up, “Oh, papa’s battling today already? Awesome! What about Yakov? Wallace?”

"Yakov has a battle tomorrow, and Wallace is up on Wednesday."

“Anyone we know or should know going up against them?”

Yuuri shook his head, “Both first-timers; I can’t recall having heard their names befo-”

“Yuuri!”

They both stopped and turned around. Yuuri’s face broke into a bright smile.

“Iris!” he laughed as he was enveloped in a whirl of purple hair and the distinct smell of dragons, “I thought you wouldn’t be arriving until tomorrow.”

“Change of plans.” The Unova League Champion grinned as they separated. “Skyla wasn’t supposed to be battling until day three, but then, she got scheduled for tomorrow last-minute, and I was supposed to fetch a ride with her, so…” she smiled broadly, tilting her head, “…here I am.” Then, she spotted Viktor, her eyes sparking in recognition. “Oh, you’re Viktor, Sasha’s son!” she skipped up to him and energetically extended a hand, which he accepted, dumbfounded, “I’m Iris, Unova League Champion and Dragon Master, like Yuuri.” She grinned broadly. “Nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you, too.” Viktor replied, placing a dazzling smile on his face. Of course, he knew who Iris was, but for some reason, he didn’t feel the need to tell her that. “I’ve also understood Yuuri’s gotten a couple of his Pokémon from you?”

“From the farm, really.” Iris confirmed, hand on her hip. “He was only four when I found him playing with Axew in the yard, and he took care of poor little Deino when it couldn’t stay in Unova. We, mostly Drayden and I, owe him a lot.” She turned back to Yuuri. “I have to go, we’re going to cram in a sparring session with Shauntal before the battles start today. See you at lunch? Maybe Lance, too, if he’s here yet? And Phichit, and you, too, Viktor!” her eyes glimmered with excitement, “Or if not lunch, then maybe dinner? We _have_ to catch up.”

“I’m sure either or both can be arranged.” Yuuri agreed. “And Lance is arriving in the afternoon.”

“Then we need to at _least_ have dinner together.” She gave Yuuri another quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “See you later!”

“Later!” Yuuri called after her as she sprinted. He wasn’t blushing.

That was the only thing putting Viktor’s heart to rest at the moment, because there was a terribly uncomfortable feeling churning around in his gut, making him nauseous. It wasn’t until Yuuri called his name with that sweet smile on his face that Viktor snapped out of it, following him to the hotel, but the unsettling feeling didn’t go away.

 _Maybe he doesn’t like guys_ …

 _Maybe he doesn’t feel the same_ …

Viktor’s fingers tightened around the handle of his suitcase.

He had to ask Yuuri out, and he had to do it soon. He needed answers.

He needed to _know_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote one long chapter, realized it was absolutely and way too long and cut it in two, so here's the edited version of part one. Poor Viktor, I'm so sorry, and it's about to get worse... or is it? I also apologize for lack of dragons in this chapter, but Leo and Guang-Hong needed to be introduced around this point.
> 
> I'll reply to all your comments later this week (...probably tomorrow, to be honest), and I'll post the second part when I get around editing it. Let's go with Friday and keep our fingers crossed.
> 
> Also, we're getting a movie! :D I'm all too terribly excited for this and needed to scream about it somewhere, so I'll just do it here: *screams!* ^.^
> 
> ...and another thing: any HP-fans around here? I was thrown the prompt "Hogwarts role reversal au", and... yeah. I like challenges :'D
> 
> Anyhow, sorry for the "cut off" chapter; it really is chopped off just about right in the middle, and it probably shows. I'll try uploading part 2 soon. Hugs and love to all of you! <3


	23. Slateport part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor is jealous and Yuuri is confused. Katya just wants to help, and Altaria can only take so much distress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some more confusion! Courtesy of mylodee, the slow burn-tag has now been added... I suppose that with 100,000+ words written by now, it belongs there.

_** Flashback: the evening before Viktor’s arrival in Slateport **_

Yuuri shut the door to the hotel room behind him, leaning back against it and letting out a long, heavy sigh, closing his eyes. His head was spinning that terribly familiar manner it always did whenever he had spent an entire day surrounded by people and fuss with no time to sit down and tune out for even a little while. It felt like Thundurus had injected a storm cloud into his head, buzzing with white, static noise, hindering him from thinking clearly while simultaneously thinking too much.

He buried his face in his hands, fingertips digging into the skin in an attempt to focus.

 _Shower_.

Right. He could always start there.

Turning the water to ice cold, Yuuri hung his head, allowing the freezing water rain across his skin, willing his thoughts to straighten themselves out. The droplets felt like needles all over his body, and when he finally turned the shower off, he had goosebumps all over, his skin tingling and legs trembling as he reached for a bathrobe.

Maybe he should have run a bath instead… except he couldn’t stand the thought of sinking down into something warm for the time being, unless that _something_ was a bed.

Sitting down on, indeed, a bed, Yuuri dried his hair with a towel. His fists tightening around the fabric as he buried his face into it, whimpering in frustration, sound muffled against the cloth.

_Are you going to wish upon a shooting star for a kiss? I bet your boyfriend is going to._

_When’s pretty boy arriving?_

_He’s in love with Yuuri, you see._

Yuuri let out an exasperated hiss, squeezing his eyes shut tight.

Why would Phichit not stop _saying_ those things? It was entirely the Alolan’s fault, Yuuri figured, that he absolutely and completely could _not_ get Viktor’s sculpture-perfect features, shimmering aquamarine eyes and brilliant smile out of his head. The image had long since become etched into his brain, probably permanently.

The worst part was that he really didn’t want to get rid of it.

But Viktor was… well, _Viktor!_ Viktor the Top Coordinator. Viktor the Amazingly Talented Top Coordinator. Viktor the Too Beautiful for Yuuri to Handle.

And Yuuri was… well, whatever the Distortion World he was. Certainly not anything Viktor Nikiforov could be interested in. Sure, they had had a nice time training during the weekends and having dinner together seven times a week… and all that hugging… the kisses on the cheek…

The lump in his throat tightened painfully, salt stinging at the back of his eyes beyond his control. The sob was entirely involuntary.

The familiar noise of a PokéBall springing open reached his ears, and Yuuri didn’t have to look up to know who had let themselves out. The soft coo was telltale sign enough before he suddenly was enveloped in a pair of cottony wings.

He reached up to wrap his arms around Altaria’s neck, burying his face into the crook of her slender neck as she hummed soothingly in her soprano tone. He should have called her out earlier… probably. With her hum reverberating throughout his body, Yuuri finally found himself relaxing enough for his jumble of confusing thoughts and feelings to somehow align in a more manageable order in his head.

_What am I to Viktor?_

He would dare think he was a friend, at least rather than just an acquaintance. It was still unbelievable to him that Viktor actually seemed to own every poster of him ever made, that he had read every interview he could get his hands on, and watched every Tournament ever since Yuuri entered it years ago for the first time. He also _really_ had a hard time fathoming that the person he had been drawn to like a Volcarona to a flame for _ten years_ seemed to wish to spend time with _him_.

…and that person would spend the following night sleeping in the bed next to him.

“What do I do, Altaria?” Yuuri found himself murmuring to his humming Pokémon, “What am I to him? What does he want from me… does he want anything from me?”

 _What do_ I _want?_

Altaria briefly interrupted her humming to soothingly croon. Like she had heard the question he hadn’t spoken aloud.

Yuuri sighed, stroking her neck affectionately, “I wish you could talk, darling. You probably kno-”

He paused.

Altaria fell silent in confusion, blinking down at him.

“…aria?” she tilted her head curiously as Yuuri let out a small laugh, kicking himself mentally for being incredibly and terribly stupid. He and Altaria had been companions for years, and yet, he still failed to remember her specialty. Well, apart from keeping Hydreigon in check and himself calm and collected.

“Altaria,” he smiled softly, standing up to be able to place a kiss on her cheek, “I need your help.”

There was no way he was going to be able to sort out his feelings on his own, but if there was one thing he had learned, it was that Altaria could always help him straighten them out. All she had to do was be there, humming, crooning and cooing to aid him in making sense of himself.

He didn’t care if he had to stay up the entire night. He had too much to figure out.

And all of it was very much traceable back to a silver-haired coordinator.

 

_** Present **_

Viktor was grateful that Yuuri had excused himself to the bathroom for the time being, because he was too busy struggling not to hyperventilate. Or die. Or die from hyperventilation.

The reason for his quickened heartbeat and rapid breathing was the revelation that the hotel room, the one he was going to share with Yuuri, was… small. Much smaller than Viktor was used to. And because of its miniscule size, the two beds in the room were very close to one another.

Actually, they were pushed together. Which was even worse. They might as well have been given a double bed, and it would essentially have been the same thing.

 _I won’t survive this_ , Viktor panicked inwardly as he placed his suitcase on the bed closer to the door, the one not already occupied by Yuuri. How was he supposed to control his unconscious body, that already chased the _bedsheets_ in order to find something to hug during the nights when Yuuri was very much present in his dreams anyway, from chasing the _real_ Yuuri right over to the bed beside his? Because, frankly enough, he could really just roll over to it in his sleep and grab the poor boy.

…and what would Salamence do if he did something like that? The dragon was much too large to fit inside the hotel room without breaking all three walls and the window, and probably the ceiling, too.

He was in the middle of calculating whether he would be able to afford paying for the possible damage or not when Yuuri emerged from the bathroom, dressed in his signature Dragon Master-outfit, the five League-badges, the Pokémon League-badge, and the Dragon Master-pin securely fastened right where they should be.

Viktor struggled not to audibly gulp. With his jet-black hair slicked back and glasses still on, the Dragon Master looked all too delicious for his own good. Not that he seemed to realize Viktor wanted to order him for lunch.

“Ready to go?” he asked Viktor with a smile, completely unaware of the coordinator’s internal battle, pulling on the pair of fingerless gloves that completed the outfit.

Viktor quickly snapped out of it, clearing his throat and grabbing his pale violet jacket he had opted to change into after the bus ride, “Ready!”

They set course towards the hotel that Phichit and the other challengers were staying at, as Yuuri had promised to meet the Alolan there so they could walk to the arena together. Katya let herself out of her PokéBall to have a look around, sticking close to her trainer and Yuuri the entire time.

“Do you know if Yakov is here already?” Viktor asked Yuuri curiously as they approached the hotel, “I know papa is, of course; he called yesterday.”

Yuuri hummed, “Yakov usually arrives during the first day of the Tournament whether he has a challenger or not; I’d dare guess he’s here already.”

“And Wallace?”

The Dragon Master pondered for a moment before shrugging apologetically, “No idea, to be honest. As said, he has a challenger on Wednesday, but all in all, he’s more unpredictable.”

Viktor let out an involuntary laugh, “True.”

Yuuri grinned at him, “You’d know.”

“Yuuri, Viktor!”

Phichit waved enthusiastically at them, standing by the hotel entrance together with Leo and Guang-Hong. Togedemaru was perched on his shoulder as usual, looking pumped and ready to go, and while Leo’s Bronzor was nowhere in sight, Guang-Hong was hugging Pancham to his chest.

“Alola, Viktor!” Phichit greeted with a Solar Beaming smiled, “Did the trip go well?”

“Alola!” Viktor replied, catching Katya as she jumped up in his arms to greet Togedemaru from there, “I can’t say I prefer taking the bus, to be honest, but there are probably worse things than being bored.”

Phichit grinned, “Hopefully the Tournament can make up for that.” He gestured towards the two other boys. “This is Leo and Guang-Hong; Leo’s entering the Tournament, too.”

“Hi!” Viktor lilted with a brilliant smile, shaking hands with the both of them, “Nice to meet you! And what a cute Pancham!” he added enthusiastically to Guang-Hong, Pancham already basking in the attention.

“Oh!” Guang-Hong’s cheeks dusted pink, smiling shyly, “Th-thank you.” The pink turned red. “Katya is really cute, too.”

“Glaa-ceon.” Katya preened happily, curiously sniffing the air as she carefully leaned a little towards Pancham, who was doing the same in her direction.

“Oh, you know her name!” Viktor smiled brightly at the boy, who was blushing furiously, “She seems to like Pancham.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Viktor.” Leo decided to admit on the behalf of himself and his younger friend. “I could never do contests myself, but my cousin is in that scene. Your routines are absolutely amazing.”

Viktor smiled warmly, “Thank you, we do our best.” He tilted his head slightly. “Do I know your cousin?”

“She advanced to the Hyper Rank the previous season. Her name’s Lola.”

The coordinator cocked an eyebrow, “Lola de la Iglesia?” Leo nodded in confirmation, “She battled my friend Chris twice last season; both in Lilycove and in Nimbasa.”

“Christophe Giacometti?” the Unovan grinned, “His style is… unique.”

Viktor offered him a sheepish grin, “That’s… a way of putting it, I suppose.”

Chris had an… _image_ , after all.

“We should get going, right?” Phichit spoke up, glancing at his Xtransceiver, “The first battle begins in less than an hour.”

Viktor stuck close to Yuuri as they headed towards the arena, noting to his relief that Yuuri didn’t seem to mind him basically clinging to his arm so as not to lose him in the crowd as it thickened. In fact, the Dragon Master glanced over at him every so often, as if wishing to check he was still there, a shy smile on his lips each time he did.

Relaxing inwardly, the coordinator soon forgot about the morning’s encounter with Iris altogether…

 

**

 

“Papa!”

“Vitya!” Alexander Nikiforov rumbled heartily, pulling his son tight against his chest, knocking the air from Viktor’s lungs. Not that he minded too much, “So good to see you, sunshine. Your mama is terribly sorry she couldn’t make it here so close to the contest season; she has students every single day at the moment.”

“I know,” Viktor replied in understanding, grinning up at his father as they separated, “but I’ll see her in Lumiose, right?”

“She’s had her ticket booked for half a year or something.” Alexander chuckled fondly. “Yuuri, dear boy!” he then boomed, pulling the Dragon Master towards him to give him a sideways hug that probably dislocated the poor boy’s shoulders in the process, “Good to see you in good health, and congratulations! I didn’t get to tell you so last year since I headed home directly after my own last battle of the Tournament, so I’ll do it now instead. Youngest Dragon Master in history!”

“Good to see you, too, Mister Ni-,” Yuuri halted his words as Viktor’s father frowned theatrically at him in disapproval, “Sasha.” He corrected himself, earning a broad grin from the Sinnohan. “And thank you. It feels weird, not competing this year.”

“Take a breather.” Alexander told him, releasing him from his hold. “You deserve it, especially after that _intense_ battle against Lance last year; I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it since Lance took the Dragon Master title himself years ago, going up against Drayden as his final obstacle.” He grinned. “And I was thrilled to hear you had invited my Vitya to come and have a look up close,” he gave Yuuri a not too subtle wink, “although I _know_ he would have preferred to see you in action live.”

It was hard to tell who was making a better impression of an embarrassed Cherubi; Viktor or Yuuri.

“…really?” Yuuri mumbled, question barely audible.

Viktor swallowed his non-existent pride, “I’m your biggest fan, remember?”

Still looking like a Charmeleon on fire, Yuuri still managed to grin, “But I’m _your_ biggest fan.”

Alexander chuckled again, patting Viktor’s shoulder, “Sunshine, behind you.”

Viktor spun around.

“Yakov!”

“I thought I spotted some familiar hair.” The older Ice Master rumbled, giving Viktor a one-armed hug. “You look well, Vitya.”

“So do you.” Viktor tilted his head. “How’s Lilia?”

“All good.” Yakov confirmed in his grunting manner. “She can’t make it to either Lumiose or Lilycove this year, but you’ll see her in Hearthome; front row ticket, apparently. And Yuuri,” he greeted the Dragon Master, “I knew you had it in you.” He nodded towards the dragon claw-pin on Yuuri’s chest. “Well deserved, boy.”

“Thank you.” Yuuri replied humbly. “It’s good to see you M-… Yakov.”

Yakov let out a small chuckle, “Finally dropping the formalities after all these years. I take it you’re going to be watching this time around.”

Yuuri nodded, “For a change, yes.” He glanced at his Xtransceiver. “Speaking of which, we’d probably better go get seated.” He told Viktor.

The coordinator smiled, “Okay.” he agreed, reaching out to take hold of Yuuri’s arm again so as not to lose him. “See you later, papa, Yakov.”

“I’ll join you for lunch.” Alexander promised with a grin, arms crossed over his chest. “What about you, Yakov?”

“Not today.” The older Ice Master frowned. “I have to sit down with Blaine, Pryce, and good old Ramos to discuss the fact that we’re getting old. Tomorrow, perhaps.”

Leaving Alexander to tell his fellow gym leader that he “really isn’t _that_ old”, Viktor and Yuuri made their way to the stands, heading towards the section reserved for the League-representative Master Trainers and their invited company. They spotted a pair of seats a little to the side and were already heading towards them when…

“Yuuri, over here!”

Viktor felt as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his head, gut churning uncomfortably as he prayed to Arceus Yuuri would just wave the offer off and continue onwards to the seats they had been aiming for.

Of course, Arceus wasn’t listening to him at all, because Yuuri immediately changed course towards Iris and a red-haired young woman Viktor recognized as Flying Master Skyla, leader of Mistralton Gym in Unova. She rose to greet Yuuri warmly with a hug, then shook Viktor’s hand enthusiastically with a dazzling smile on her face, telling him she had initially started watching competitions because Winona was taking part in them, and that she had continued to watch because she was fascinated by Viktor’s routines.

Even though the honest praise did lift his spirits somewhat, he still had to bite the inside of his cheek not to demand Yuuri switched places with him when the Dragon Master sat down next to Iris. Well, that, or “nicely” ask Iris to move.

He would just have to endure it, he figured, sitting down to Yuuri’s right. Somehow.

“Who’s up first?” Iris wondered, apparently attempting to find a list of the day’s battles in her bag to no avail, “I have a terrible memory…”

“Roxanne is up first for the Hoenn League.” Yuuri told her, absentmindedly scratching Katya behind the ear as she nudged him, demanding affection. Viktor silently thanked his companion for making an effort at keeping Yuuri’s attention in their direction.

“Is Leo battling today?” he asked to start a conversation, hopefully, determined to keep the Dragon Master from being too distracted from the young woman to his left.

Realizing what he was thinking, Viktor felt terribly, horribly ashamed of himself, shoulders slumping slightly. Iris seemed to be, and probably was, a great and amazing person, and being a Dragon Master and the champion of the Unova League also gave away she was a magnificent trainer. The problem was that despite everything, her interacting with Yuuri was actively poisoning Viktor’s thoughts, jealousy burning and sizzling in his chest and gut.

Together with the guilt of his own feelings, he felt nauseous.

To Viktor’s momentary relief, however, Yuuri immediately turned to him with a smile, “He has his first battle tomorrow.” He replied, allowing Katya to jump into his lap fully. “Against Erika, the Grass Master from Celadon City.”

“Look, Yuuri!” Iris chirped excitedly, pointing at the battle schedule she had apparently located, “Remember the Kalosian twins from last year, Sara and Michele? Sara is up against Drayden on Wednesday, and Michele is battling Janine on Thursday morning…”

 _Well_ , Viktor grumbled inwardly, _at least_ Katya _seems to be distracting…_

**

Something was wrong.

Well, maybe not _wrong_ , but definitely not as it should be. Or how it usually was.

Yuuri struggled to put his finger on exactly what it was that felt… off. All he knew was that it had something to do with Viktor, but the Top Coordinator, being the brilliant performer he was, masked it so well that Yuuri’s frustration of not being able to see through the veil only grew throughout the day. He tried figuring it out during the battles before lunch, then at lunch, and then again as the battles continued in the afternoon.

So far, he hadn’t been able to figure it out, but he vowed that he _would_ figure it out.

The Tournament, on another note, had went well for the League-representative Master Trainers. One challenger had managed to beat Brock, the gym leader of Pewter City, but other than that, the Pokémon League had stood victorious so far.

That topic of thought inevitably turned Yuuri back to Viktor again. The coordinator had asked questions like he usually did, and seemed to absorb every little grain of information Yuuri was able to provide him with. Katya had been extremely clingy, for some reason or other, but her trainer…

Yuuri paused mentally, frowning.

Was that it?

Viktor had held onto his arm whenever they passed through crowds, but other than that…

He searched his mind, thinking back to the few months he and the Top Coordinator had known each other, seeing one another more or less daily. And looking back, he couldn’t recall a day during the past several weeks… months… that Viktor hadn’t been touching him in one way or another.

The coordinator spent the evenings after dinner leaning against Yuuri’s side or clinging onto his arm (or, a few times, his leg, complaining he wanted his pillow back when Yuuri had risen from his spot to go to the bathroom and being refused the privilege). He always greeted him with a hug, got his attention with a hug, and hugged him every evening when they bid each other good night. And whenever they flew to train someplace else other than Lilycove, Viktor always leaned his head against Yuuri’s shoulder while keeping his arms tight around his waist.

The Dragon Master frowned deeper. At himself.

Why was he suddenly feeling so terribly uneasy about the thought that Viktor, who was sitting right beside him, easily within reach, wasn’t… touching him in one way or another like usual? They were in public; he _shouldn’t_ even be doing that, unless they wanted a horde of reporters on their heels.

But Viktor sitting so close and not even leaning against his side definitely felt off. Wrong. Totally un-Viktor-like. And _that_ , apparently, made Yuuri terribly uneasy.

So…

He glanced at the coordinator, who was petting Katya with one hand while gazing over the frozen arena that the battle court had been turned into for Alexander’s battle against Phichit. Viktor looked lost in thought, like he wasn’t really there at the moment, his mind having taken refuge someplace else.

Definitely wrong.

Fidgeting with the hems of his sleeves, Yuuri discreetly glanced down at the hand resting on Viktor’s knee, Katya dozing off in his lap as he used his right hand to gently stroke her fur.

Yuuri worried his bottom lip, glancing around. There were reporters, sure, but they were all in the front rows or higher up, focused on the arena.

They wouldn’t… see, would they?

Mulling the dilemma over, he felt someone nudge his left arm and turned his head, blinking in confusion as Iris cocked an eyebrow, looking at him pointedly. Yuuri furrowed his brows at the strange behavior, which caused her to let out a small sigh, tilting her head…

…towards the hand Yuuri wanted to reach out to.

Iris leaned a little towards him, hissing in his ear, “Just do it!”

Yuuri swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat, inhaling deeply. Slow exhale.

Biting his bottom lip so hard he thought he tasted iron on his tongue, he clenched his left hand into a fist and steeled himself.

_Just do it!_

Cheeks flaring with Overheat and heart Hammer Arming against his ribcage, he quickly reached out before he would be able to stop himself, closing his hand around Viktor’s.

He felt the coordinator briefly tense, snapping his head towards Yuuri with shock and surprise written across his features, eyes wide in wonder. Yuuri momentarily panicked, fingers twitching as his heart leapt up in his throat with a High Jump Kick.

_What do I do now?_

He barely had time to think the thought before Viktor answered for him by tightening his grip on Yuuri’s hand, the shyest smile he had ever seen on the coordinator’s lips appearing along with an all too pretty Jigglypuff-blush that didn’t help to slow down his Rapidashing heart. Yuuri took that as a cue to give Viktor’s hand a squeeze in turn, feeling the burning Flare Blitz spread on his cheeks and down towards his chest.

He smiled back. Only twice as shyly.

Hiding their entwined hands between them, they silently turned their attention to the battle arena, where Alexander had just stepped onto the platform that would elevate him to the trainer stand.

Viktor didn’t even let go to applaud. Instead, he waved to his father, a smile on his face so bright it rivaled the Alolan sun in both brilliance and warmth.

Yuuri didn’t even notice himself leaning towards Viktor for a change.

He didn’t notice Iris' grin, either.

 

Viktor was screaming at the top of his lungs. Inwardly. And he was sure that had he let the noise out, it would easily have rivaled Altaria’s Hyper Voice.

He had been sulking, he knew that, and there was nothing he could have done to help it, even though he knew, at least deep down, that he was probably and most likely being irrational and terribly immature. But still. So, instead of actually doing something about his Gloom-mood, he just bottled it up inside and masked it with smiles and laughter outwardly.

Had Yuuri noticed anyway?

What had given him away, in that case?

Viktor had been trying to act as normal as possible… but perhaps he hadn’t managed as well as he thought he had. Or then, maybe, Yuuri could see right through him. Somehow.

Whatever the reason or the cause, the Dragon Master was currently holding Viktor’s hand shyly but securely in his own, and Viktor was screaming inside his head. The Beautiflies were back in his stomach with a vengeance, probably attempting to erase every trace of jealous nausea from his gut, while his heart warmed his chest like a Volcarona was fluttering inside, and his cheeks were burning pleasantly, like a Fairy Wind had swept past to turn them pink.

He gave Yuuri’s hand a squeeze, wanting to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. The Dragon Master’s grip tightened slightly. Then, he surprised yet again by leaning towards him, settling against the coordinator’s side comfortably while watching the battle.

The smile on Viktor’s lips was definitely not faked any longer.

 

**

 

Alexander lost to Phichit by the strand of a hair, when Mawile finally managed to climb up Abomasnow’s back to use Fire Fang at the crook of its neck, then spit out a Flamethrower as the part grass-type attempted to pull her off. Despite that, it had been a satisfying day for the League-representative Master Trainers, with only two losses in eight battles during the day. Only Phichit and brown-haired girl from Unova stood victorious over Alexander and Brock respectively, the former grinning widely as he ruffled Phichit’s hair.

To Viktor’s utter joy (and he was struggling hard not to cry due to overwhelming affection), Yuuri didn’t let go off his hand as they made their way from the stands to wait for Phichit and the others by the competitors’ entrance.

“Where are we going for dinner?” Viktor asked while they waited, Skyla and Iris thankfully involved in a conversation of their own about the last battle of the day, where Winona had all but crushed her opponent with her Altaria, “I mean, there’s Slateport Hill, right?”

“That’s where we usually go.” Yuuri confirmed. “It’s the best place for our Pokémon, too. Besides,” he looked up at the sky, “the sun is still up and there’s not a cloud in sight; it would be nice to stay outside for a while longer.”

Feeling much more comfortable and secure after Yuuri’s silent encouragement, or whatever it was intended as, Viktor leaned closer to his side like he usually did, using the position to hide their interlocked fingers from the eyes of the world, “We usually don’t have dinner this early during weekdays, do we?”

Yuuri met his grin with one of his own, “I’m not even hungry yet, to be honest.” Then, he paused, smile dropping as he spotted something over Viktor’s shoulder. “Reporters.” He warned.

_Oh._

In silent and mutual understanding, they let go off each other, wishing to avoid a full-on media storm at any cost. There was the telltale noise of a PokéBall opening and Haxorus appeared by Yuuri’s side, peering down at the people approaching his trainer with a look of patient disapproval.

Something only he could pull off. Probably.

“Master Katsuki!” the first reporter that reached them immediately jumped Yuuri, “Ah, I see you’re here together with Top Coordinator Viktor Nikiforov! Is it true that you will be entering the Hoenn Battle Resort and the Sinnoh Battle Zone Master Challenges in Master Drake’s stead?”

“Mister Nikiforov, you haven’t been spotted at a Pokémon League Tournament before; are you here to watch your father? Former mentors?”

“Master Katsuki, there are rumors you are entering the Pokémon World Tournament this year as a Senior Representative; can you confirm?”

“Mister Nikiforov, it’s a surprise to see you taking time to come and watch the Tournament so close to the contest season; are you confident in your routines this year?”

The onslaught of questions was instant and intense. Yuuri confirmed he would he battling in Drake’s stead in the Master Challengers and that he would be entering the Pokémon World Tournament as a Senior Representative, but kept tight-lipped about his possible participation in the Hoenn League Tournament. Viktor managed to sidestep most questions about his routines, only vaguely confirming that his companions indeed had a few new moves and tricks in their arsenals.

“And you two know each other?” one of the reporters inquired the both of them, “Did you come to watch the Tournament together?”

“Yes.” Viktor replied confidently before he could stop himself, Yuuri silently nodding beside him while fighting a Bounsweet-blush that was attempting to spread across his cheeks. “Yuuri invited me.”

“I had two tickets.” Yuuri spoke up as curious gazes turned his way. “I thought Viktor would like to see his dad and former mentors.”

They were finally saved by the arrival of Phichit and Alexander, who were immediately jumped for more comments on their battle, and as more and more Master Trainers and challengers began flowing out through the doors, Viktor and Yuuri were soon forgotten altogether.

Haxorus let out a low rumble, making Yuuri laugh.

“Hungry?” he asked his companion, offering him a PokéPuff for patience, “Soon, darling, I swear.”

“Glaa-ceon!” Katya demanded, making Viktor laugh in turn, reaching into his bag to pull out a puff for her, too.

“You’re so spoiled, sweetie.” He told her fondly. “And I suppose it’s entirely my fault.”

 

**

 

They all came to the conclusion that Wallace hadn’t arrived in Slateport yet, but Lance joined them outside the Slateport Hill restaurant, much to Yuuri’s delight. It tugged on Viktor’s heartstrings to see the otherwise (permanently) stoic and stern Indigo League Champion allow a small, soft smile to spread on his face as he embraced his former student, telling him he had been missed at the Indigo Plateau.

It must have been very weird for the both of them to suddenly _not_ be on the road together or training together, Viktor figured. They had done so for many years, after all.

In contrast to earlier the same day, he wasn’t even slightly jealous or disappointed about the fact that Lance held Yuuri’s attention for the entirety of the dinner. Viktor talked with his papa and Yakov instead, wanting to catch up with them anyway, and Iris was engaged in a vivid conversation with Phichit, Leo and Guang-Hong, leaving Yuuri and Lance to mind their own business.

Viktor’s gaze involuntarily wandered towards the Dragon Master ever so often, and then over to their Pokémon. More specifically Salamence. The dragon kept his gaze fixed on his trainer only to meet Viktor’s eyes every single time he looked his way. Katya was curled up on his front leg, snoozing contentedly with a protective crimson wing partially covering her.

At least Salamence wasn’t growling or rumbling this time around. Viktor only had to deal with the threatening glare. The gaze that promised to turn him into a pile of ashes if he thought about hurting his trainer.

Viktor looked back over at the Dragon Master instead, his hand still warm from when Yuuri had held it in his.

The smile came naturally.

 

Seeing Lance again was like being reunited with the older brother Yuuri had never had. The Indigo League Champion immediately wanted to know everything about his progress, how he found working at the Hoenn League and the thought of taking Drake’s place in the kind of near future, how his team was doing, and everything in between.

After all had been said and done, it was as if they never separated in the first place, picking up right where they left off the last time they met. Which, really, was a year ago. You could only get so much from a few calls.

Yuuri felt a pair of eyes on him that didn’t belong to Salamence and turned his head, immediately locking gazes with Viktor’s amazingly blue orbs, aquamarines sparkling with… something he couldn’t quite place. He was smiling softly, hair glimmering like gold in the last rays of the sun.

_Beautiful._

Yuuri returned the smile, heart skipping a beat as Viktor’s cheeks suddenly dusted pink.

 _Yes,_ he confirmed to himself, _he’s beautiful_.

 

**

 

Viktor finished drying his hair, slipping out of his bathrobe and pulling on a pair of sleeping shorts in a silky fabric, a piece of clothing he only ever used when rooming with Chris during competitions (since, usually, he slept completely naked). He then pulled on a top in the same fabric that he had never used before in his life.

As Yuuri was still in the shower, Viktor decided to have a look in the mirror by the door.

Bless Chris and his eye for looking good with minimal clothing.

The two-piece nightwear was loose, but due to the small shorts, his long legs were definitely shown off, and the top hugged him just right. The material felt pleasant against his skin, cool and smooth. Despite the unfamiliarity of wearing something to bed at all, he was quite sure he would be able to sleep in it.

…if he would be able to sleep at all.

Katya had retreated to her PokéBall for the night, meaning Viktor had absolutely no sufficient distraction from his thoughts any longer. He sat down on the bed, worrying his bottom lip, fidgeting with his clothing.

Ever since Yuuri had taken his hand, his day had brightened like the Alolan sun had been imported to shine over Slateport, and yet… he still had no real answers. No answers that satisfied him, anyway.

 _What am I to him?_ Viktor wondered, brows furrowed into a worried frown, _Does he even think of me like… that?_

Yuuri _had_ taken his hand. That had to mean _something_ … right?

He groaned, laying down on the bed, placing his hands on his face. If only he could read Yuuri’s mind, just a little, then…

The sound of a PokéBall springing open made him sit up abruptly as a larger Pokémon materialized in the small room.

“Taaaria?”

“Hi,” Viktor greeted the cotton cloud dragon, who was looking down at him, head tilted to the side, “can’t sleep?”

Altaria cooed. Suddenly, the coordinator found himself wrapped in a pair of fluffy white wings, a soothing soprano hum reverberating through his body and resonating with his soul. He felt his arms move on their own accord, reaching up to settle around the dragon’s slender neck.

“Does he like me, Altaria?” he asked her quietly, earning another soft coo in response, “Does he see me as a friend? A brother?” he paused, “A lover? I can dream, right?”

Altaria let out a soft sound that could have been interpreted as a sigh, crooning gently.

“I want to ask him out.” He admitted to the dragon, burying his face in her neck. “Can I do that? Without Salamence plotting to murder me?”

Altaria looked down at him curiously with beady, black eyes. Then, she nudged him.

Viktor inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.

“Okay. Thank you.”

Altaria gave one last coo before entering her PokéBall voluntarily. Viktor pulled his legs up on the bed, steeling himself. He needed more courage than he had for what he was about to do… but he had to do it.

He couldn’t stand not knowing.

So when Yuuri finally exited the bathroom wearing those loose sweatpants and that oversized t-shirt that drove Viktor mad, he willed his heart to stay inside his chest, waiting until the Dragon Master was seated on his own bed before speaking up:

“Yuuri?”

The Master Trainer turned to face Viktor, “Yes?”

The coordinator fisted the bedsheets without realizing it.

“Would you…?” he swallowed a lump in his throat, heart beating harshly against his ribcage, threatening to Self-Destruct, “…would you… please…”

The words got stuck in his throat, tongue not connecting to his brain. Or the other way around. Yuuri blinked, turning towards him fully, brow furrowed with concern.

“Would I…?” he attempted to help.

Viktor bit the inside of his cheek to snap out of it.

_…here goes nothing._

Taking a leap across the broken bridge of confidence, hoping with all he had that the jump alone would help him reach the other side, he sucked in a deep breath and threw absolutely everything out the window.

“Would you go on a date with me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, another cliffhanger...! *hides behind Salamence*
> 
> That was the second part of the mega chapter I decided to cut in two, and we're very, very close to the end now... well, for now, at least. Part two is under construction, though, and the ideas are just too many...! (but the storyline as such is done)
> 
> (also, HP-fans, the Hogwarts role reversal au is happening... whatever it is I've gotten myself into, I have no idea, but it's fun, so I'll just go with it)
> 
> Thank you endlessly for all the love and support! ^.^ I really wish I could express how much it means to me, so I'll try to do that by writing as well as I can. Many hugs and love to each and every one of you <3
> 
> Also, thank you again, Hextraordinary; I'm having so much fun with Axew and Swablu, they're adorable! :D I'm probably feeding them too many PokéBeans and spoiling them rotten with belly rubs... *does it anyway* Yeah, I was supposed to sleep last night and ended up petting my new team members instead. Worth it ^.^


	24. Stupid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are. Especially Yuuri. But also Viktor.

“Would you go on a date with me?”

 

Yuuri’s heart stopped beating. His lungs forgot how to provide him with oxygen, and his buzzing head was suddenly silenced while the room spun around him at double speed.

_Did I fall asleep? Am I dreaming?_

Was he even in any kind of reality he knew any longer, or had he been sent someplace else in the spacetime continuum by Dialga and Palkia?

Was Celebi playing tricks with him?

_What did he say?_

…

What _did_ Viktor say? He _had_ said something, right?

_“Would you go on a bzzzz with me?”_

Yuuri tried to remember. He tried to understand.

 _Would you go on a_ …

…date?

Somewhere in the back of his head, he heard his own silent scream.

 

Viktor wondered if what he was experiencing at that moment was a panic attack. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was, but he was a hundred percent sure that that Yuuri was staring at him as if he had been hit by a Thunderbolt, mouth hanging open and eyes wide like PokéBalls. He said nothing, made no noise at all, and he wasn’t moving, completely frozen in place.

Viktor’s heart, on the other hand, was definitely _not_ frozen in place. In fact, it was beating at the pace of a rampaging Rapidash, hard enough for him to flush a bright Charmeleon red all the way from his ears down to his chest while his stomach turned into a tight knot, settling unpleasantly heavily in his gut. While Yuuri seemed to have stopped breathing, his own sped up, the excess oxygen making his hands and feet tingle and go numb, shivers down his spine giving him goosebumps.

 _Say something!_ he begged internally, _Anything! Please, please,_ please…!

 

“D-…”

Yuuri’s mouth was attempting to form a word his brain hadn’t been able to process yet. He swallowed, mouth completely dry, but he tried again:

“…d-date?”

It came out as a breathless whisper of complete and utter shock.

Or he thought it had. Had he even said it aloud?

Apparently, he had, because Viktor, who looked like he had swallowed a Will-O-Wisp and was slowly burning up from the inside, inhaled sharply, clutching the bedsheets in his fists while nodding frantically.

“Yes,” he confirmed, almost whimpering, “date. You. With me. I…!” he sat up on his knees, attempting to steel himself, “I really, really want to go on a date with you!¨ he inhaled deeply, swallowing a lump in his throat, “Please.”

 

Yuuri stared at him in silence, shock written across his stunned features, his otherwise expressive maroon eyes having gone completely blank. Viktor could only wait with bated breath, silently praying to Arceus and every legendary there ever was (…except Giratina) that Yuuri would just say _something_. _Anything_ to end his misery.

Or make it worse.

He’d still prefer that over _not knowing_.

The doubt was forming in his gut, the knot in his stomach sinking like a rock, dread filling his chest to the brim. He felt like he had been hit by Scald and was drowning in the hot water, tingling unpleasantly with the cold burn it left behind. The salt of anxiety was stinging at the back of his eyes as he clenched his jaws to keep it in.

Maybe he had interpreted everything wrong.

Maybe… maybe Yuuri wasn’t interested in him in that way after all.

His heart froze, sinking rapidly to the darkest pits of the Distortion World.

_What have I done?_

Yuuri’s head was attempting to restart. Or reboot. Or upgrade. _Anything_ to help him process the fact that _Viktor Nikiforov_ , the coordinator he had looked up to and admired for _ten years_ , had asked him on a…

…date.

He had asked _Yuuri_ on a _date_.

Why?

He was snapped out of his jumble of incoherent thoughts as he registered Viktor sinking back down into a sitting position on his bed, silver hair flowing down his slumped shoulders as he hung his head.

“I’m sorry.”

…

 _Huh?_ Yuuri blinked in confusion.

“I’m sorry,” Viktor repeated, massaging the bedsheets anxiously with his hands, “I thought… I… I just thought that… maybe, but… you don’t…”

His voice cracked.

Alarm bells finally started ringing loud and piercing in Yuuri’s head, because even if he was momentarily paralyzed and probably a massive idiot, he wasn’t entirely blind, and it _definitely_ looked and sounded like Viktor, sweet, wonderful, amazing Viktor, was seconds away from crying.

With a mental Wake-Up Slap, Yuuri blurted out:

“I want to!” Viktor stilled, breath hitching audibly as a sob caught short in his throat. Yuuri forced himself to continue, incoherent or not: “I want to. I’d like to, I…” _words, words, words, what are words?_ “…I _do_ want to go on a d-date. With you.”

 

Viktor gasped, another sob cut off before it could escape, snapping his head up to meet Yuuri’s warm, brown gaze, eyes filled with more concern than determination. His hands were curled into fists so tight his knuckles had turned white, while his cheeks were definitely burning up with Overheat.

Once their gazes locked, Yuuri let out something that could have been a small sigh of relief, repeating himself:

“I do want to.”

Viktor inhaled deeply.

He said…

…he _did_ say…!

He became aware of the sudden panic written across the Dragon Master’s features long before he noticed the silvery droplets of multiple emotions flowing freely from his eyes.

“V-Viktor!” Yuuri exclaimed, sitting up on his knees, frantic, “A-are you…? Why are you…? I’m s-…!”

Viktor cut him off by sitting back up on his own knees to take hold of Yuuri’s shoulders and pull him tight against him, burying his face into the crook of his neck, somewhere in the back of his mind praying that Salamence was fast asleep in his PokéBall.

“I’m happy, stupid.” Viktor told the fabric of Yuuri’s shirt. “I’m fine, and I’m _happy!_ And you’re stupid.”

Yuuri let out something that sounded like both a sigh of relief and a small laugh, albeit a slightly confused one. Slowly, somewhat hesitantly, he snuck his arms around Viktor’s waist, leaning against his shoulder in turn.

“Can I still be happy even if I’m stupid?”

He spoke so quietly that hadn’t Viktor felt the words against his skin, he would probably not have registered them at all. He let out a laugh of his own, clutching Yuuri impossibly closer, tears subsiding as the dread he had felt moments ago was replaced by the warmth of joy, like Yuuri’s words had been a Heal Pulse to the Scald. A Full Restore used at the last possible moment.

“Of course you can.” He murmured into the fabric of Yuuri’s shirt. He sighed, nuzzling his neck. “I’ve wanted to ask you out for a very long time by now, you know.”

 

Yuuri’s heart skipped a beat, fingers digging into the silk fabric of Viktor’s nightwear. He swallowed.

“I didn’t think…” a Heatwave swept across his cheeks, making them burn red hot in embarrassment, “I didn’t think you would be interested in… you know… me.”

Viktor groaned in exasperation, leaning back a little to glare at him with piercing aquamarines. Yuuri’s heart sank. Frankly enough, Viktor looked offended.

“I thought I was being _quite_ obvious.” He grumbled, hands tightening to fists around the fabric of Yuuri’s oversized t-shirt. The Dragon Master flushed from his ears all the way down to his chest like an embarrassed Cherubi.

“I’m sorry!” he blurted out, feeling the Overheat of shame washing over him, burying his face in his hands, “I just…! I’ve admired you for a _decade_ ; I couldn’t just understand that…” he faltered when Viktor’s hands left his shirt to gently pry his own away from his face, expression having softened to something much gentler.

“Then I’ll help you, _make_ you understand.” The coordinator spoke, determination shining in his impossibly blue eyes, keeping both of Yuuri’s hands in his own. “I’ve admired you for five years; not ten, sure, but still, a long time. I’ve wanted to ask you out for at least three, and when I met you…” he sighed, an endearing shade of Jigglypuff-pink spreading on his cheeks, “…Arceus knows I prayed you felt the same way, but I wasn’t sure. I…” he frowned slightly, “…I didn’t want to scare you away; I valued the time we spent together too much for that. But now, I just…” he swallowed, shaking his head slowly, “I couldn’t stand not knowing any longer.”

Yuuri swallowed in turn, his grip on Viktor’s hands tightening slightly, “Then… n-now you know.” He blushed fiercely, hanging his head. “I-I didn’t even know myself.”

Viktor sighed, a small laugh of both amusement and exasperation leaving his lips, “You’re a brilliant Pokémon trainer, Yuuri Katsuki, but you’re really not that good with people, are you?”

It wasn’t really a question.

Yuuri offered him a sheepish smile, “No, I guess I’m not.”

Viktor eyed him closely, “Maybe someone should teach you.”

The Dragon Master blushed, but didn’t avert his gaze, “I’m going to need a teacher, then.”

The laugh bubbling up in Viktor’s chest couldn’t be stopped and he made no effort to do so, either, allowing the joyous smile to spread on his lips just like it wanted to do as he laid down on the bed, pulling Yuuri with him. The Dragon Master was smiling, too, shy and still embarrassed, undeniable happiness sparkling in his maroon eyes despite the Charmeleon-crimson cheeks.

“Fair enough.” Viktor agreed, stroking his thumb over the back of Yuuri’s hand. “But maybe you’re learning already without realizing it?”

Yuuri blinked, confused, “I am?”

Viktor smiled fondly, pulling their joined hands to his chest, “You grabbed my hand today,” he reminded the Dragon Master, looking at him curiously, “why?”

A flash of recognition flew across Yuuri’s features, “Oh. I…” he frowned, “you were acting strangely.”

Viktor tilted his head as best he could, “I was?”

The Dragon Master’s cheeks turned Bounsweet-pink as he swallowed a nervous lump in his throat, “Y-you… something was wrong. You… usually… you know…” he looked terribly sheepish, “…you’re clingy. A-and you weren’t being clingy. It was… weird.”

 _Oh. That was it_.

It was Viktor’s turn to flush with embarrassment.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, “about today.”

“Huh?” Yuuri blinked, confused, “What do you mean?”

“For sulking.” Viktor clarified. “I worried you, and I’m sorry I did. I’ve been busy being stupid today.”

Yuuri frowned sheepishly, “I’ve been busy being stupid for months, apparently.” He reminded Viktor, glancing over his shoulder at the PokéBall-belt on the chair by the nightstand. “No wonder Altaria has been nipping at my fingers so persistently when I feed her; she knew all along, and I just… didn’t understand.” He blushed again as he turned his gaze back to Viktor. “…I’m not sure I understand yet, but still…” he smiled, “I’m happy. I am.”

Viktor sighed, chuckling slightly, swallowing his non-existent pride.

“I was jealous.” He admitted. “Today, I mean.”

Yuuri gaped at him, eyes wide as PokéBalls, “Jealous? Why?”

It was the coordinator’s turn to smile sheepishly, “It’s stupid. I’m stupid.”

“You’re not stupid!” Yuuri protested frantically, hands tightening around Viktor’s as if he was trying to make a point by stopping the blood-flow in them momentarily, “You’re _brilliant!_ You’re smart, you’re a quick learner, you’re creative, and fun, and… amazing!” his cheeks were burning hot, but the flame of determination was brighter, “ _Not_ stupid.”

Viktor looked just as much like a tomato as he did. Looking down at their connected hands, he spoke:

“But I’ve been really, really stupid today, okay?”

Yuuri worried his bottom lip, “Why were you jealous?”

“…there’s no rational explanation for it, but…” Viktor sighed heavily, then took a deep breath, “…I was jealous of Iris, okay? See, stupid.”

Yuuri blinked, dumbfounded.

“Iris? She’s like a big sister to me.” He let out a small laugh completely involuntarily as Viktor’s expression turned more and more sheepishly apologetic by the second. “Okay, that’s pretty stupid. Not as stupid as me, though.”

“You’re brilliant.” Viktor protested promptly, snuggling closer and curling up to bury his face in Yuuri’s chest. “Brilliant but stupid.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing and hug me.”

Yuuri couldn’t help but laugh, obliging, trying to ignore the fact that Viktor was wearing minimalistic clothing, the fabric just as silky smooth as his skin. Viktor, on the other hand, decided he had waited and restrained himself enough for the past months and snuck a hand beneath the fabric of Yuuri’s oversized shirt, finally able to feel the soft skin stretched over taut muscle on his back.

There were so many things he wanted to say, and so many he wanted to do, and so much he wanted to know and learn, but exhaustion was catching up with him. He had gotten up essentially in the middle of the night to take the bus from Lilycove to Slateport, after all. He also felt Yuuri’s breathing getting slower and steadier, relishing in the sensation of careful fingers gently carding through his hair.

Yuuri buried his face in Viktor’s silver locks, taking in the familiar smell of ice and spring rain and _Viktor_ , feeling the coordinator relax in his embrace while trying to wrap his head around the fact that _he_ , _Yuuri_ , had that effect on him.

he had already felt the exhaustion when he had stepped out of the shower earlier, and the tension that had followed Viktor’s question had tired him out even further, after the unexpected spike in adrenaline.

“We should sleep.” He murmured into the silver strands,

Viktor hummed, “Sleep with me.

It wasn’t a question, and neither was it a downright demand. But it was.

Yuuri swallowed, but nodded, “Okay.”

Getting beneath the covers was an inconvenience, and Viktor, tired as he was, glared at Yuuri again when he turned away briefly to place his glasses on the nightstand and grab the pillow from his own bed. Then, he smiled contentedly again, snuggling up comfortably right next to the Dragon Master.

“I’m happy, Yuuri.” He murmured, eyes already shut.

Yuuri blushed, but he was grinning like the idiot he was accused of being, “I’m happy, too, Viktor.”

Only when Viktor’s breathing had slowed down and grown heavier, the coordinator fast asleep and gone in his own dreamworld for the night did Yuuri process his own words.

 _I’m happy, too_.

I _am_ happy, too.

 

**

 

Sunlight filtered in through the curtains when Yuuri’s alarm went off in the early morning, his Xtransceiver buzzing on the nightstand. He groaned and attempted to move to turn it off.

Except he was unable to so. Mostly due to the arm around his waist that was holding him firmly in place.

Memories from the night before flashed in his mind, making his chest swell with warmth. It hadn’t been a dream.

Meaning the person holding him in place was none other than Viktor.

The Sinnohan stirred behind him as Yuuri still fruitlessly attempted to reach across his own bed, which hadn’t been touched at all, to the nightstand. The task turned out to be considerably easier said (or thought) than done when Viktor’s grip around his middle tightened.

“I’ll just turn the alarm off.” Yuuri attempted to reason with the Octillery holding him in place, voice cracking slightly with the grogginess.

“Don’t get up yet.” Viktor mumbled-grumbled, but released him enough for Yuuri to reach over and stop the annoying beeping from the Xtransceiver. He then obliged, still feeling guilty for having accidentally hurt Viktor with his inability to understand his own feelings, and more importantly, Viktor’s.

And really, he couldn’t complain about getting the chance to cuddle with the clingy coordinator just a little longer… even if Viktor’s minimal clothing made him terribly flustered now that he had slept through the night and was able to process everything a little bit better.

“I’m taking you to dinner.” Viktor announced, peering at him as if annoyed, even if his eyes told a different story. “Tonight. Just us.”

Yuuri hummed, absentmindedly finding Viktor’s soft, silver hair again to gently card his fingers through it, careful not to accidentally pull on any knots.

“Okay.” He agreed.

Viktor let out a sound reminiscent of something akin to a pleased huff, if the combination was even possible, “Good.” He stated, burying his face in Yuuri’s chest again like he had done the night before. “Stupid.”

Yuuri laughed, burying his face into Viktor’s hair again, “I am.” He relented. “I am. But you’re stupid, too, being jealous like that."

Viktor let out a hybrid of a snort and a laugh, “Then we can be stupid together.”

“Together.” Yuuri agreed. “Breakfast?”

“Mm, starving.”

“So are probably our Pokémon.”

“Yeah,” Viktor sighed, but the smile was audible, “though I’d rather stay.”

Yuuri felt the Cherubi-blush warm his cheeks, but he gathered the determination to meet Viktor’s eyes, finding a pair of bright blue aquamarines gazing back at him.

“Haxorus is going to jump out of his PokéBall if he doesn’t get breakfast soon.” He told the coordinator. “And so is Salamence.”

For a brief moment, Viktor’s eyes widened. Then, he sighed, smiling.

“Let’s not keep them waiting.”

 

“I don’t think Salamence likes me very much.” Viktor winced as the dragon let out a low growl in his direction during breakfast. Yuuri rolled his eyes at his dragon, clicking his tongue twice sharply. The growling stopped immediately.

“Behave, Salamence.” He scolded the Pokémon sternly, turning back to his food. “He just doesn’t like Froslass and Weavile, and you happen to be their trainer just as much as you’re Katya’s. Just ignore him, he’ll come around.”

“O-okay.” Viktor hadn’t meant to stutter, but the dragon was glaring daggers at him, and even if he trusted Yuuri and his word, he was still wary of the enormous Pokémon. Its Mega Evolved-form wasn’t called the Blood-Soaked Crescent for nothing.

However, there were also other things to worry about.

He scooted slightly closer to Yuuri on the bench, lowering his voice, “We shouldn’t really… you know… make this obvious, right?”

Yuuri turned his head to look at him, blinking, “Wha-? Oh, right,” he blushed endearingly, averting his gaze, but the small smile on his lips didn’t go unnoticed, “with the press around, it’s probably a good idea to keep a low profile in general.” He agreed.

“Exactly.” Viktor nodded, popping a cherry tomato into his mouth, chewing slowly. “Phichit will notice.”

The Dragon Master turned Cherubi-pink, “Yeah, most likely.” He admitted sheepishly, “…is that okay?”

Viktor gave him a bewildered look, “He’s your best friend; of course it’s okay!”

Yuuri worried his bottom lip, but the smile was growing, “Are you going to…?"

“Tell Chris?” Viktor finished the question for him. Yuuri nodded, earning a grin in reply, “Guess twice.”

 

**

 

“What would be Leo’s best strategy here, would you say?” Viktor asked as the Unovan stepped off the platform onto the trainer stand, ready to face the Grass Master of Celadon Gym, Erika.

Yuuri hummed thoughtfully, scratching Katya behind the ear with one hand, as his other was occupied with holding Viktor’s, “Well, I’ve never seen him battle, but he has a solid team of psychic-types. He needs to watch out for bug-type moves, so he’s probably going to use at least Gallade here. Bronzor would be a good choice, too… but as it hasn’t evolved into a Bronzong yet, I doubt he’s going to use it in a battle against Erika’s ace Pokémon. His best options are to build up his own defenses and attempt to breach hers as best he can; Erika’s team has a lot of healing moves in their rosters.”

“He’s probably chosen Pokémon that knows fire-, flying-, and ice-type moves, then.”

“Most likely. He mentioned having taught some of them a few different punching moves, and at least Gallade knows Aerial Ace. He used it while sparring with Phichit.”

Erika waited for the judge’s go-ahead before reaching for her first PokéBall. She was as elegant as always during tournaments, dressed in a soft orange kimono with golden leaf patterns. She was also resting a parasol in yellow and green on her shoulder to shield herself from the sunlight that she no doubt intended on brightening further to her Pokémon’s advantage. Or disadvantage, depending on if Leo had any fire-type moves up his sleeves or not.

Jumpluff materialized on her side of the arena while Leo looked thoughtful for a moment, fingering on the first PokéBall in his belt. He quickly made a decision, however, grabbing the ball to send out Reuniclus.

“It certainly looks like it could take a Razor Leaf or two.” Viktor commented, referring to the green, gelatinous substance protecting Reuniclus’ body. “But Jumpluff can’t learn Razor Leaf, right?”

“I’ve never seen Erika’s Jumpluff use it, so I don’t think it can, no.” Yuuri pondered, tilting his head slightly. “Leo might be well off here at least to start with. He mostly has to look out for Silver Wind.”

Yuuri was right; Leo was well off in the first round against Erika. Despite Jumpluff’s many attempts to seep Reuniclus’ HP out of the Pokémon, use a bunch of status-inducing moves and even use Synthesis to regain health itself, the grass- and flying-type finally went down with a well-placed Ice Punch straight upwards as Jumpluff attempted to use Bounce.

Then, it got a bit trickier.

“Ouch!” Viktor winced as Victreebel blinded Reuniclus with Acid Spray and then hit it dead-on with a Power Whip, “Luckily the jelly absorbs some of the pain.”

“She’s just trying to finally land that Leech Life.” Yuuri was certain. And he was proven right again when Victreebel finally got a hold of Reuniclus with its long, strong vines to drain its health. It was enough to make Reuniclus faint, and Leo sent out Grumpig instead.

“He’s good.” The Dragon Master commented as Victreebel got a taste of its own medicine, Vine Whip colliding with Grumpig’s Iron Tail to the psychic-type’s advantage. “He’ll go at least to the Elite Four-round, possibly all the way to the champions.”

“What about Phichit?” Viktor asked curiously.

Yuuri hummed, “I’d think the same goes for him… and I’d also like to think he’ll make it to the champions.”

“Could either of them beat a champion at this point, do you reckon?”

The Dragon Master frowned, “That… depends. Phichit… would maybe manage to beat Diantha, but that’s as far as it would go for now. I can’t really guess for Leo… let’s say that I don’t think so. Not yet.”

Victreebel went down with a painful Fire Punch from the inside as it had used Swallow on Grumpig, having the move backfire in a terrible way. Erika didn’t look fazed in the slightest, calmly recalling her fainted ally into its PokéBall before sending out her last Pokémon…

“It looks deceptively weak.” Viktor pondered, squinting to even be able to see the Bellossom on the grassy arena. “Although I know that isn’t the case.”

Yuuri nodded, “True; looks are deceiving here. It’s much stronger and bulkier than it looks.”

“High defense?”

“Yeah, and even higher special defense.”

Bellossom was less than half of Grumpig’s size, but put up a real fight. Leo’s second team member fell victim first for Infestation, then Giga Drain, then Petal Blizzard, and while it was busy trying to escape the razor blades with Psyhic, Erika had the time to order Bellossom to use Solar Beam. The result was a fainted Grumpig, and Leo had to send out his last Pokémon in turn.

His Gallade.

“He’s got this.” Viktor stated confidently as Gallade jumped out of the way of a Moonblast to counter with Aerial Ace, barely missing the grass-type. “I’m quite sure.”

“I think you’re right.” Yuuri agreed as Gallade managed to land the Poison Jab, “He’s taking this round.”

The cheers around the stadium were deafening as Gallade narrowly escaped Bellossom’s Hyper Beam and managed to land a final, devastating X-Scissor, and by that earning Leao his first win in the Pokémon League Tournament. From where Yuuri and Viktor were seated, they managed to spot Phichit and Guang-Hong on Leo’s side of the arena, standing up and cheering as the Unovan and Erika stepped off the trainer stands to head for the press area.

“So…” Viktor looked up at the screen on the other side of the arena that was currently showing the day’s battle schedule, “Yakov has a challenger directly after lunch, then, against… Candice, apparently. First-timer?”

“I think so.” Yuuri nodded. “I can’t remember having heard her name before. Yakov usually wins his battles, though.”

“Yeah, his Avalugg has a defense stat higher than Mount Lanakila.” Viktor remembered with a groan. “I lost to him so many times during my years in Snowbelle… so embarrassing…”

Yuuri gave his hand a squeeze.

 _It’s not impossible_.

Viktor squeezed back.

_I know. Thank you._

 

**

 

“So,” Phichit grinned, thankfully keeping his voice low as he managed to get Yuuri all to himself for a moment during lunch, while Viktor was busy talking to Wallace, who apparently had arrived in the middle of Leo’s battle, “what’s going on? Don’t think I don’t notice, Katsuki.”

Yuuri’s cheeks Overheated and he busied himself with scratching Hydreigon’s fur to collect his thoughts. Phichit scooted closer in an attempt to give them a little more privacy.

“…we’re having dinner tonight.” He mumbled, the Bounsweet-color creeping down his neck to his chest. “Just us.”

Phichit hummed, nudging him playfully, “So? You do that all the time, you know.”

“…it’s different.”

The Alolan tilted his head innocently, “Is it? Enlighten me, dragonboy.” Yuuri’s reply was inaudible, however, making Phichit grin wider. “I’m sorry? I didn’t catch that.”

Yuuri shot him a glare, cheeks still burning, “I think you heard me.”

“Actually, I didn’t, but I might have gotten the idea.” Phichit smiled sweetly. “Come on. For my ears only.”

Yuuri sighed, laying down beside Hydreigon to hug the dragon for comfort, and having the humming Altaria on the other side of the part dark-type only helped to calm his nerves further.

“It’s a date.” He told Phichit, almost whispering. “He asked. Last night.”

Phichit’s laughter was actually silent for once, “I’m not going to say: ‘I told you so’, but I’m definitely going to say _I told you so_.”

Yuuri buried his face in Hydreigon’s fur in embarrassment, the dragon letting out a low rumble as it sensed its trainer’s discomfort, “You did.”

The Alolan quickly stopped laughing as all of Hydreigon’s three heads turned in his direction, the blind dragon growling in annoyance, making the tiny Dedenne stuff the rest of her puffs into her cheeks to hide behind her trainer.

“Um,” Phichit attempted to hint the dragon trainer, “I think your dragon wants to Dark Pulse me…”

Yuuri sighed, patting Hydreigon’s neck, “Stop that.” The dragon immediately fell silent. “Good boy. I love you.”

Phichit scratched his neck sheepishly, “Well, if he and Salamence haven’t scared pretty boy off by now, they probably never will, either.”

 

“Is there a reason why our young Dragon Master is seeking refuge in his Pokémon’s fur from his best friend?” Wallace asked Viktor smoothly, observing Yuuri and Phichit curiously, “I mean, you wouldn’t happen to know, by any chance?”

Viktor took his time replying, chewing long and well on his pasta while fighting the blush away from his cheeks. Wallace knew him all too well, and apparently, he knew Yuuri pretty, pretty well, too.

Hence, the Water Master and Top Coordinator was eyeing Viktor with barely hidden amusement. Viktor swallowed.

“…Iaskedhimout.” He mumbled, wishing he had left his hair down that morning so he could hide the Jigglypuff-pink on his cheeks.

“Mhmm,” Wallace hummed, casually leaning his elbow on the table, “I take it he didn’t say no. What took you so long? You were all over each other back in Slateport already.”

Viktor blushed further, poking his food, “I wasn’t sure.”

Wallace cocked an eyebrow, “And now?”

The shy, happy smile was completely involuntary as he glanced over to the Dragon Master on the grass, curled up beside his intimidating Hydreigon like it was a big, fluffy PokéDoll.

“I’m sure.”

“I’m glad.” Wallace smiled warmly. “Where are you taking him?”

Viktor grinned, “ _Oceanside_.”

An impressed glint twinkled in his former mentor’s eyes, “Excellent view, good food, and secluded. You thought of everything, didn’t you?”

Viktor shrugged, “I want him to feel comfortable, that’s all.”

“Exactly.” Wallace took a sip of his iced tea. “Does Lance know?”

Viktor’s heart stopped, then dropped down to his stomach with what felt like a heavy ‘thud’.

“Sh-should he know?”

Wallace gave him a pointed look, “He’s going to find out eventually; Yuuri’s like a little brother to him.” He gave Viktor a pat on the shoulder. “Better he knows beforehand than afterwards, yeah? Speaking of which; good to see you, Lance!”

“You look well, Wallace,” the Indigo League Champion replied, sitting down across from a considerably pale Viktor and a brilliantly smiling Water Master, “have you had the time to enjoy any battles yet, or have you just arrived?”

“I arrived in the middle of Erika’s battle this morning.” Wallace told him. “And I’ve gotten some news since then that might interest you.”

“Hm?” Lance indicated he was listening. Viktor’s face was turning considerably redder by the second, but paling beneath the hot blush.

Was it even possible to both pale and flush at the same time?

“Indeed,” Wallace smiled at Lance, leaning over the table a little to keep his voice down, “it concerns our former students. I thought you would like to know that my darling Viktor is taking your precious Yuuri on a date tonight.”

Viktor held his breath as Lance’s piercing gaze bore through his soul, assessing him closely, waiting for the Dragon Master to say something. Anything.

“Hm,” he hummed again, “is it true?”

_Oh._

“Yes.”

Lance’s eyes narrowed slightly. Viktor’s heart attempted to escape from its confinement in his ribcage while his lungs had completely forgotten how they were supposed to work. Truth be told, he wasn’t too scared of what Phichit would throw at him, especially after having learned that the Alolan had been trying to make Yuuri understand that Viktor was interested in him ages ago. Lance was a different matter altogether.

Not to mention his permanently stoic expression made him look very intimidating.

Then, the corner of the Champion’s mouth twitched ever so slightly.

… _huh?_

“Be patient with him.” Lance told him gruffly, reminding Viktor of Yakov a little. “You’ve taken the first step; let him take the next.” He looked at Viktor pointedly. “Once you set something in motion for him, he goes at his own pace, and he’s never… predictable.”

Viktor blushed down to his neck, “I know.”

“Good.” Lance stated, tucking in on his dumplings. “He also doesn’t understand any kind of ‘subtle hints’. If you need him to understand something, you have to tell him straight; no shortcuts.”

At that, Viktor couldn’t help but laugh, “I’ve noticed.”

“And,” Lance said firmly, voice stern as it always was, “I trust his team to see to it you behave.”

Wallace chuckled. Viktor blushed bright red.

“Don’t worry, Master Lance,” he said, a sheepish grin on his lips, “Salamence is taking good care of that.”

“It’s Lance, Viktor.” The Dragon Master waved the title off. “Take good care of him. That’s all I ask.”

The lump in Viktor’s throat disappeared, warmth spreading in his chest like a Heatwave, skin tingling in relief.

Somehow, having Lance’s blessing made it all the more real, excitement and anticipation growing as fast as the neck of a newly awoken Alolan Exeggutor, elevating him towards the top of the world. He looked over at the Dragon Master in question, taking a nap in Altaria’s wings, still hugging Hydreigon’s neck for comfort. Phichit had let him sleep, playing around with his electric-types at some distance away together with Leo, Guang-Hong and their Pokémon.

Yuuri looked so content and peaceful in his sleep…

Viktor found himself smiling again.

He was taking Yuuri to dinner. On a _date_.

Finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My eyes are barely open any longer, so I hope I didn't miss anything important, especially not towards the ending of this chapter... which actually is yet another chapter that I decided to cut and leave a part of it for the next chapter instead. I hope it doesn't seem too weird that I did so, but it made sense in my sleep-clouded mind, so let's go with that.
> 
> Viktor and Yuuri wrote this chapter entirely by themselves and took me along for the ride. I don't know what they're doing, but it was apparently supposed to look like this, so now it does.
> 
> Guess what? Two chapters to go...!
> 
> Good night! ^.^ Hugs! <3


	25. Firsts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a day of firsts. Like Yakov's first battle of the Tournament. Oh, and the boys' first date, of course.

Yakov showed who was the Master Trainer and who wasn’t by completely crushing his opponent after lunch. The girl, Candice, was apparently an aspiring ice-type trainer herself, but the difference in experience was well visible as the two went head to head, even if she didn’t go down without a fight. Candice entered the battle with a vicious Weavile that rivaled Viktor’s team member in speed, an enormous Mamoswine that looked like it could have just stepped on Avalugg to crush the block of ice to pieces (which, apparently, wasn’t the case at all), and, somewhat surprisingly, a Medicham with a deceptively high attack stat due to its Pure Power-ability.

However, Yakov was more than prepared for anything and everything, and he wasn’t an expert on ice-types for nothing. He sent out Avalugg from the start, and the tanky Pokémon remained on the field from start to finish.

Like Viktor had said, the sturdy block of ice had a defense stat higher than Mount Lanakila, and it showed. The roars of amazement and appreciation from the audience were deafening when Medicham finally went down with a harsh Skull Bash, Avalugg somehow still standing after three consecutive battle rounds. Candice recalled her fainted Pokémon, holding her head high with a smile on her face as she left the arena despite the loss.

“The girl’s got potential.” Alexander commented as they met up by the entrance after the last battle of the day, the fight between Yakov and Candice being the topic on everyone’s lips. Or rather, Yakov’s Avalugg. “She had a good team and showed a good sense of strategy, but Yakov and Avalugg are a tough team to beat. He’s not considered the strongest ice master for naught, after all. What was her badge-count again?”

“Twenty-seven.” Iris replied, looking up Candice’s trainer profile for the Tournament on her tablet. “She’s conquered the Unova League and the entire Indigo League, apparently, and she hails from Sinnoh…” she frowned, reading further, “Ah, her family moved to Unova when she was nine, that’s why the Sinnoh League is missing, still. She’s got two Elite Four-certificates as well… and she managed to squeeze in time to challenge and beat three Hoenn Gym Leaders before entering the Tournament, so twenty-seven.”

Alexander hummed, nodding, “Impressive; I’m looking forward to battling her when she reaches Sinnoh, if I don’t get a chance to do so before then. She’s definitely on the right track, she just happened to get paired up with one of the toughest opponents the Pokémon League has to offer.”

“It sounds like you’re planning the future of Snowbelle Gym, Sasha.” Wallace grinned, making Alexander chuckle. “But you’re right; there are many young trainers here that definitely have the potential to go far, such as the young lady Cancice. And speaking of young ladies,” the Water Master turned to his former student, “have you heard from Lisia lately, Vitya?”

“Huh?” Viktor tilted his head at the sudden question, turning to Wallace, “She sent me an e-mail a couple of weeks ago, yeah. How so?”

“Oh, no particular reason.” Wallace waved it off, pulling out a pearly white tablet from his bag. “I just thought you might’ve liked having a look at her new outfits for the upcoming season; she has a new designer that might interest you, too. Here…”

“Yuuri,” the Dragon Master involuntarily froze as Alexander Nikiforov placed a hand on his shoulder to gain his attention, “a moment?”

Yuuri looked up at the Ice Master, meeting a pair of familiar azure blue eyes, kind and reassuring. He found himself nodding. Alexander smiled, discreetly steering him a little to the side.

“Don’t worry, I’m not about to give you a shovel talk or anything.” He assured the Dragon Master, keeping his voice low, warm and friendly. “Vitya told me he asked you on a date, and the first word that popped into my mind at the revelation was ‘finally.’” He chuckled at Yuuri’s shocked expression. “You see, Vitya wears his heart on his sleeve, and I know he’s been… fond of you for a long time. I just wanted you to know that this isn’t something he’s doing on a whim.” He gave Yuuri’s shoulder a firm squeeze. “Take care of him, okay?”

Yuuri blushed furiously, swallowing a thick lump in his throat, but nodded.

“I’ll do my best.”

Alexander chuckled again, “I know you will.”

Somehow, that one small conversation made Yuuri simultaneously more nervous and more confident, gut churning uncomfortably while his chest filled with warmth. Thank Arceus he had Altaria there to help.

 

**

 

“So, um…” Yuuri worried his bottom lip as he rummaged through his suitcase for that one button down-shirt he was thanking Celebi for deciding to bring with him, “…if we’re going to dinner, you know, just us… what about our teams?”

“I had to improvise a little, but I do have a solution.” Viktor replied reassuringly, smiling as he pulled out a couple of suit jackets that looked abut as expensive as Yuuri’s entire wardrobe from the closet. “I didn’t manage to get a place where we could have dined together with them, unfortunately, but I _did_ manage to book a spot as _Poffins & Puffs_, scheduled an hour and a half before our own reservation.”

Yuuri involuntarily let out a sigh of relief, “Oh, good; Flygon would give me the cold shoulder for days if I tried feeding him with one of those PokéNourish-devices at the Pokémon Center.”

“I can relate,” Viktor offered him a sheepish smile, “Katya _hates_ those. The first and last time I tried it with her, she jumped out of her PokéBall and didn’t stop growling and hissing until I gave her PokéPuffs; she was absolutely livid. Lapras and Froslass don’t mind them much, but the others aren’t too happy.”

The Dragon Master let out a laugh, “Even Altaria dislikes them, which tells a lot… I suppose I spoil them.”

“That makes two of us.” Viktor sighed, buttoning his dress shirt, looking at the suit jackets thoughtfully. “Cherry or watermelon?”

“Huh?” Yuuri blinked in confusion, looking up from his suitcase where he was attempting to locate a necktie he was _sure_ he had brought along. Viktor looked over at him, a twinkle in his eye.

“If you had to choose between cherries and watermelon, which would you pick?”

Yuuri blinked again, “Well… cherries, I suppose…”

“Perfect!” Viktor chirped, placing one of the suit jackets back in the closet, supposedly the watermelon colored one, leaving the cherry pink one where it was, “Thank you.”

Struggling not to laugh, Yuuri finally found the tie he had been looking for and placed in on the back with his black suit jacket, “You’re welcome. Why did you bring so many suits, anyway?”

“You never know when you might need one.” Viktor replied with a shrug. “And four isn’t _that_ many.”

The Dragon Master failed to suppress a snort, “Sure it isn’t. I brought _one_.”

“You have all the appropriate outfits a League-representative Master Trainer needs with you.” Viktor argued easily, positioning his silken, black necktie exactly where he wanted it, tying it in an elegant Silver Isle-knot. “Those take up space. I, on the other hand, have no such things to bring, so I brought along a few suits instead.”

Yuuri hummed, amused but understanding, tying his own necktie in a much less fancy fashion than the stunning coordinator he was…

…going on a date with. Yeah.

He hadn’t fully comprehended it yet, and it became increasingly harder to do so as Viktor transformed from beautiful to breathtakingly gorgeous right in front of his very eyes. It also took several seconds before Yuuri realized he had been staring, instantly feeling the heat creeping up his cheeks as he did. He looked away quickly, swallowing a nervous lump in his throat as he moved on to button his sleeves.

The small, satisfied smile on Viktor’s lips went completely unnoticed by Yuuri as the coordinator pulled on the cherry pink suit jacket. He was willing to forgive the Dragon Master’s horrible choice of tie (the light blue color looked Garbador-levels of awful) in favor of seeing him in that excellent suit the Hoenn League had supplied him with, which hugged his soft-yet-slim waist perfectly.

Viktor also decided he was most definitely _not_ going to complain about the slacks that showed off Yuuri’s strong thighs, even though they would one day be his downfall.

Still, the tie would have to go. Burn. Disintegrate. Eventually.

 

**

 

“They’ve grown used to this.” Viktor smiled, tilting his head. Yuuri laughed softly, nodding in agreement.

“I bet they can’t wait to get back to Lilycove so they can snooze together after dinner, too.”

It was Viktor’s turn to laugh, “If we keep this up, they soon won’t be able to eat _or_ sleep apart.”

Yuuri’s smile turned sheepish, “Well… you’re probably right. Actually, it might already apply to Katya and Salamence over there.”

“Exactly.”

Katya had already finished her own food, and was sitting on the ground beside Salamence’s food bowl, which was about three times her size, watching in silent amazement as the dragon devoured the Premium Dragon Puffs, each one the size of a PokéBall. The trainers knew that the moment Salamence finished eating, Katya would jump up onto his leg and sit there, flicking her tail while letting out rapid strings of “Glaceon”. Salamence would listen and occasionally reply in his deep, rumbling voice. Then, Katya would run back and forth on his back until she got tired, and she would curl up on either his leg or his head, ready to sleep. Salamence would then wait until she drifted off into her dream world before finally closing his own eyes and allow himself to doze off.

Tonight, they would probably not have time to actually fall asleep, but it was their usual routine.

Froslass and Weavile were also done eating, and were chasing each other in circles around Flygon and Haxorus, who both munched on without a care in the world, letting Viktor’s Pokémon do as they pleased. Dragonite and Lapras appeared to be having a conversation over their food, their deep, calm voices well audible among the mostly silent bunch (Katya hadn’t started talking yet).

Hydreigon was once again gifting Altaria with puffs every so often, and Altaria occasionally placed one back into the blind dragon’s bowl while he was distracted, making sure he got enough to eat himself. Ninetales watched them in silent amusement, occasionally conversing with Altaria in between.

Viktor frowned, “I really need to brush Ninetales’ tails tomorrow morning; it looks like it has gotten tangled a bit.”

Yuuri hummed, nodding, “the fur around Hydreigon’s necks could use some treatment, too. Tomorrow morning.”

Viktor shifted a little next to him on the bench, “…can I try something?”

“Hm?” Yuuri turned to him, blinking, “Sure.”

Glancing over at Salamence, Viktor reached for Yuuri’s hand and took it in his, lacing their fingers together. As if the small gesture had been an alarm signal, the dragon turned his head, glaring at the coordinator, but he remained silent. Then, Katya jumped up on his leg and started chattering, and Salamence slowly turned his attention to her instead.

Viktor let out a long sigh of relief, “He didn’t growl.”

Yuuri blinked again, “Of course he didn’t. Just this morning I told him not to, remember?”

Viktor cocked an eyebrow, “I thought it only applied for, you know, there and then.”

“No.” Yuuri replied easily, giving Viktor’s hand a squeeze. “It meant ‘until I say otherwise’, and I can’t imagine I’ll have to.”

 

**

 

The sun was inching towards the horizon as Yuuri and Viktor made their way towards a tall building by the Oceanic Museum, hand in hand, because despite what they had discussed earlier the very same day, Viktor had decided he just couldn’t be bothered enough to care about a possible media storm if they happened to be spotted. Yuuri seemed to be thinking along the same lines, even though he glanced around every so often to make sure there were no journalists or photographers around.

His fingers tightened slightly around Viktor’s, gaining the coordinator’s attention, “Are we going… there?”

Viktor grinned, squeezing back, “We’re absolutely going there.”

“Oh,” Yuuri blinked, eyes widening slightly in realization and astonishment, “…wow.”

The coordinator’s smile widened, “It gets better; I promise.”

The master trainer turned his head, giving Viktor an incredulous look, “Bet-?” he halted mid-word, looking towards the building again, “Are we…?”

“Going up?” Viktor helpfully supplied, as Yuuri seemed to be at a momentary loss for words, “Yes.”

Yuuri gulped a little, pulling Viktor to a brief halt to turn towards him fully, worrying his bottom lip.

“Isn’t that… awfully expensive?” he asked with a careful mumble. Viktor gave him a bright smile.

“Well, it’s not like I’m broke, you know.” He reminded the Dragon Master, instinctively rubbing his thumb over the back of Yuuri’s hand soothingly. “Not spending the prize money from competitions feels like a terrible waste.” He tilted his head slightly, nudging Yuuri to keep walking. “Speaking of which, what do you do with all _your_ prize money? I know you donate a great deal to Pokémon shelters and to the Unova Nature Preserve, but you must still have quite a sum left, right?”

Yuuri nodded in confirmation, “Yeah, I do. I save most of it for now; I’d like to buy a plot for a house in Lilycove with a big enough yard for my Pokémon, but Lilycove is awfully expensive, so…” he shrugged, “…it’s taking some time.” He glanced over at Viktor. “But you donate, too, right? To Pokémon health care organizations?”

“True,” Viktor replied with a smile, holding the door for Yuuri when they finally reached the tall building, “and to organizations that help young coordinators get started, you know, helping them find mentors and such. This way.” He added, guiding Yuuri towards an elevator with mirror-blank, golden-colored doors. “We’re going up. All the way up.”

The Dragon Master’s eyes widened slightly, jaw slackening in surprise, “… _all_ the way up?”

“That’s what I said.” Viktor grinned cheekily, pulling a momentarily stunned Yuuri with him into the elevator. “ _All_ the way up.” He gave his hand a squeeze. “Don’t worry; I believe I thought of everything… including privacy.”

Yuuri’s shoulders visibly relaxed, at least a little, and Viktor decided to take it as a good sign. Now, he could only hope he had managed to get as good a spot as he thought he had.

 

The setting sun colored the sky in soft, golden orange shifting to vermilion red, reflecting in the ocean waves that turned more and more fierce the closer to the waterway, Route 134, they reached, strong currents whirling around as far as the eye could see. The view in that direction, however, was already obscured by the darkness seemingly rising from beyond the horizon as the sun’s rays no longer reached any farther than the rocks along the waterways leading to Pacifidlog.

Sure, the view was beautiful, but that wasn’t what made Yuuri’s palms grow warm or a multitude of Butterfrees flutter around in his stomach, and it certainly wasn’t the cause of his heart bouncing around like a Spoink in his chest.

And it wasn’t the dining spot that was to blame either, even though he had to admit that warmth spread pleasantly in his chest when he realized they would be having dinner at a small table surrounded by large plants with only the ocean view as their witness, the cozy space illuminated by the lights dangling down from the vines arched above them.

It was secluded, private, and it was _definitely_ good for his nerves.

Or… actually, the last part was a lie. Kind of.

Because what _did_ make his body do all kinds of funny things was sitting right in front of him, looking like some kind of fairy-tale prince in the soft light; like he wasn’t real at all, but a figment of Yuuri’s imagination. A figure, a _character_ who could only have existed in his wildest, sweetest dreams.

The fairy prince tilted his head slightly, silver hair falling over his shoulder like a shimmering waterfall, his amazingly blue eyes sparkling.

“Do you like it?” he asked, the slightest hint of hesitation in his voice. Or maybe it was excitement; Yuuri couldn’t really tell.

_Viktor asked a question, you know_ , his brain supplied helpfully.

Right. The ethereal being had a name, too. And he _had_ asked a question.

Yuuri’s first instinct was to nod in confirmation, giving him an extra second to find words.

“Yeah,” he replied, mirroring the smile that spread on Viktor’s not-at-all-terribly-distracting lips (he was definitely wearing that ridiculously expensive chap stick again), “it’s… perfect. Secluded and…” _what’s that word?_ , “…atmospheric.”

Viktor’s dazzling smile widened, something akin to relief settling over his sculpture-perfect features. He was definitely wearing the chap stick… when had he put it on?

“I’m happy you like it.” He said, tilting his head. “I wasn’t sure I could get a table here at all, given the Tournament is going on and all that, but apparently, someone cancelled last-minute.” He gave Yuuri a wink. “Luckily.”

Yuuri tilted his head in turn, “What was your plan B?” he wondered.

Viktor’s smile turned into a grin, “ _This_ was my plan B. I tried _La Perle de la Mer_ first, you know, one of Siebold’s restaurants, but they were booked to the brim until November or something.” He shrugged. “I thought I’d give it a shot, but I was pretty sure it was a lost cause. Which it was.”

Yuuri frowned slightly, “So… this was your plan A plan B.”

Viktor blinked, then burst out laughing, that silver-bell sound that never failed to make Yuuri’s heart do Acrobatics in his chest even though he had known the coordinator for quite some time already and should have been used to it. He wasn’t.

“That’s exactly what it is.” He admitted, halting the conversation momentarily to thank the waiter who had just brought them some sparkling Kalosian wine, well-chilled, pouring them a glass each before leaving again. Viktor picked up his glass, giving it a thoughtful look. “We haven’t had Kalosian bubble since we first had dinner together at _The White Lily_ , I believe.”

“I don’t think so, no.” Yuuri agreed, reaching for his own glass, worrying his bottom lip slightly. “So…?”

“To us.”

Viktor’s reply was confident, a genuine smile in place even as his cheeks tinted Jigglypuff-pink. Yuuri’s own blush was definitely brighter.

“To us.”

It was good that Viktor had chosen their first… date… to be a dinner, Yuuri figured. Even though the surroundings weren’t the usual ones, the situation helped putting him at ease, and he supposed the coordinator felt the same way. Having a couple of plates of food between them was something that felt familiar and safe, which made the actual, and inevitable, conversation easier to manage. Had they decided to do something else, it would probably have been a different matter altogether.

As it was, Yuuri didn’t choke and die on his food when Viktor spoke:

“I wasn’t lying yesterday,” he said softly, having washed some of his vegetable stew down with wine, “I’ve wanted to ask you out for ages.” His cheeks tinted pink. “Before I even met you.”

Yuuri felt the heat on his skin spread up to his ears, and it had nothing to do with the spices in his miso stir fry. He reached for his glass of water instead of the one with wine to cleanse his mouth, trying to prevent a cough.

“…wow.” He mumbled, finding Viktor’s free hand on the table to take a hold of with his own, needing something to ground himself with. “And here I’ve been walking around and never understood a thing… not even my own feelings, as if I thought Altaria was just going to magically help me sort them out…” he offered Viktor a sheepish smile, “…but that’s not really how it works.”

Viktor smiled back, “Some things you just have to figure our yourself.” He gave Yuuri’s hand a reassuring squeeze, then withdrew his own to continue eating. “But having Altaria probably helps.”

“A lot.” Yuuri assured him, returning to his food as well. He hummed, “I suppose I just had a hard time seeing past Top Coordinator Viktor, you know? Like you were… unreachable.”

He gulped as Viktor replied with a glare, “You need to stop that.” He told him firmly, but patiently. “I’m not sitting on a pedestal, and even if I were doing so for some reason, you could just jump onto Salamence’s back and get up there.” He paused. “Actually, use Dragonite instead; Salamence would never let me onto his back, and he would probably seize the opportunity to turn me into a pile of ash, too.” He grinned sheepishly. “You know, that night you made us katsudon for the first time, when we laid in the backyard and looked at the Suicuneoids?” Yuuri nodded in confirmation that he remembered, “I thought of grabbing your hand back then. I _swear_ I merely thought about it, and probably moved my hand an inch or two, when Salamence suddenly started growling. I was convinced that he could read my mind and wanted to Draco Meteor me there and then.”

Yuuri gaped, then laughed, “Really? Well, Salamence has always been… very protective, which is quite unusual for Salamences in general. This does explain a lot, though; I had _no_ clue as to why he got so worked up about all of a sudden.” He gave Viktor a reassuring smile. “But he wouldn’t dare do a thing; he never attacks without my go-ahead.” The smile turned apologetic. “And I’ll stop, I’ll try to-,” _uh-oh, he’s glaring again_ , “…I’ll stop.” He repeated more decisively, earning an approving smile from the coordinator. “I’ve just been struggling… with what I feel, I suppose.” He shifted slightly in his seat. “…our Pokémon knew from the start, don’t you think?”

Viktor let out a huff of laughter, “I thought Katya was being _quite_ obvious with you, with how she constantly sought your attention. They definitely knew, and like you mentioned last night, Altaria _has_ been nipping at your fingers for weeks.”

“Oh Arceus, I’m an idiot…” Yuuri groaned, burying his face in his hands, earning a chuckle from Viktor.

“I’m worse.”

The Dragon Master’s head snapped up, “Worse? There’s no way you’re _worse_ , because I seem to be blind both inside and out.”

Viktor grinned sheepishly, “What if I told you that about half of the questions I’ve asked you during training and the battles we’ve watched together I actually _knew_ the answer to, but asked anyway to see what you would reply?” he blushed furiously, “…and to keep your attention?”

… _huh?_

Yuuri’s eyes widened. Then, he burst out laughing, and so did Viktor, who did an impressive interpretation of a Cherrim in its Overcast form.

“That means you _definitely_ knew that Synchronoise only works on Pokémon with the same typing as the one using the move.” Yuuri managed to state between the laughter, and Viktor nodded, terribly embarrassed. “Thank _Arceus_ for that; I did think it was incredibly odd that you just asked about things I was so _sure_ at least _one_ of your mentors would have mentioned.”

“But you did it better!” Viktor defended himself, cheeks still Charmeleon red as he mirrored Yuuri’s grin, “In the beginning, I was just curious if you would say the same things they did, and, yeah, sometimes you did, but other times you said something completely different which made perfect sense, and then…” he hung his head, still grinning, “…really, I swear, in the beginning I just wanted to hear what you would reply. Then I continued just to keep your attention, because I’m a selfish little brat and that’s exactly what I do.”

“I disagree with the last part, but I will agree that you’re an idiot.” Yuuri decided, still laughing, and still trying to wrap his head around yet another revelation concerning the enigma that was Viktor Nikiforov. “Just not a big an idiot as I am.”

Viktor frowned, “Listen here, Master Katsuki…”

 

**

 

“Doesn’t this seem familiar, too?”

Viktor hummed, “It does.”

_Although we weren’t holding hands the last time_ , his mind supplied. Viktor decided not to say it aloud, though, in case it would make Yuuri feel overly self-conscious.

They were walking along the seafront, and even though it wasn’t Lilycove, the setting felt familiar enough to spark memories from their evening walks back home. The lighthouse by the beach illuminating the surroundings, the swell of the waves against the cliffs, the smell of salt water; all of it familiar. The only difference was, really, that Yuuri’s warm hand now was a comforting weight in his own, which made Viktor both relax and feel like bouncing around with joy simultaneously.

Had he not been distracted by Yuuri’s hand and by how utterly adorable he looked with his hair _not_ slicked back and glasses on in combination with the suit he was wearing (Viktor ignored the tie), he would have noticed that there was a new kind of spring in both his own steps and Yuuri’s that hadn’t been there yesterday.

“I was thinking…” Yuuri’s soft voice snapped Viktor out of his thoughts immediately, turning his full attention to the Dragon Master, “…both Phichit and Wallace have battles tomorrow before lunch, and then Leo is up directly after the meal, but…” he worried his bottom lip, fidgeting a little with the sleeve of his suit jacket with his free hand, “…maybe we could do something after that? I…” he inhaled deeply, his free hand clenching into a fist in determination, “…I-I mean, the Slateport Market is always worth a visit.”

Viktor couldn’t stop the enormous grin spreading on his face. Yuuri was way too adorable for his own good.

“Are you asking me out?” he couldn’t help but tease, just for the thrill of seeing Yuuri’s Bounsweet-blush spread all the way down his neck. Viktor leaned a little towards him, lowering his voice as he replied closer to his ear: “I’d love to.”

Viktor could have sworn that Yuuri’s breath momentarily hitched, but he was grinning nevertheless.

“G-great!” he squeaked.

The giggle was involuntary, but Viktor didn’t stop it from escaping his lips, “You’re so cute!”

“E-eh?!”

 

**

 

Reaching their hotel, Viktor had long since thrown all caution to the wind and just held onto Yuuri’s hand as they entered the lobby, not caring if there happened to be any prying eyes or not. Yuuri seemed to have forgotten he was supposed to be subtle, too, or then he didn’t care any longer, because he didn’t attempt to pull his hand either. The whole situation was only fueled on further by the bright grins and bursts of laughter as they tried making their way to their room.

And Viktor absolutely refused to admit any of it was his fault.

“But you _are_ cute!” he grinned at Yuuri as they walked down the corridor on the fifth floor, “And with your hair pulled back during battles…”

“Viktor!” Yuuri squeaked, already knowing what was coming.

“Shush, I’m complimenting you.” Viktor stated, ignoring the protest. “Now, as I was saying, you look so _hot_ when you battle…”

“Stop!” the Dragon Master exclaimed, managing to open the correct door and pull Viktor inside before he said something else about Yuuri’s physical appearance in public. He was bright red, but there was a smile on his lips despite the embarrassment, “Stop.”

Viktor tilted his head, grinning down at him, “Stopping doesn’t change facts, and fact is that you’re still cute.”

Yuuri’s red cheeks had probably reached their uppermost level of Overheat, because they couldn’t possibly get any redder without him bursting into flames. The Dragon Master swallowed, looking down at their still interlocked hands.

“…you’re still beautiful.”

Viktor stilled.

_…oh._

_…gulp._

Gathering the shattered pieces of his courage (all of which came solely from the Kalosian bubble and a couple of glasses of wine), Viktor squeezed Yuuri’s hand, using his free one to tilt the master trainer’s chin up gently. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to keep it there, as the touch seemed to ground Yuuri as much as it seemingly made him flustered.

“Thank you,” Viktor said softly, his urge to fidget with _something_ leading to his hand settling to cup Yuuri’s cheek, “so are you.”

 

Yuuri’s heart was racing at a million miles an hour, as was his heart. His free hand curled into a fist, clenching his jaw as he attempted to use telepathy to tell Viktor that, while he most certainly would pass out, or die from a heart-attack, he would _very much_ appreciate it if the coordinator could bend down just a little. Only slightly. Because if he _didn’t_ , Yuuri would go mad very soon.

And also, he wanted to…

_Pause_.

…but he could, couldn’t he?

Bottom lip firmly between his teeth, Yuuri reached up with his free hand to mirror what Viktor’s was doing, placing it on the coordinator’s cheek, swallowing a nervous lump in his throat. Viktor momentarily closed his eyes as Yuuri carefully ran his thumb along the soft skin.

Yes. Viktor’s silken skin was just as soft as it looked, which meant that Yuuri definitely hadn’t only imagined it the previous night.

…and what now?

As if Viktor could feel his insecurity and hesitation along with his determination, the coordinator smiled warmly.

“You’re thinking too loud.” He said soothingly, withdrawing both his hands to remove his suit jacket and place it on the hanger by the door. “Come here.”

Yuuri let out a small sigh of relief that came out as a small huff of laughter, pulling off his own suit jacket before allowing Viktor to hug him tightly. Again, something familiar that, while it _did_ make his heart practice Hammer Arm on repeat against his ribcage, also made him relax.

Because Viktor _was_ familiar. Everything from his soothing scent to his heartbeat, his steady breathing and secure embrace as he buried his face in Yuuri’s hair, inhaling deeply.

He felt _safe_.

Viktor shifted a little, letting go only for a moment to sit down on the bed instead, smiling as he patted his knee. Yuuri complied, allowing Viktor to guide him to sit in his lap. For once, _Yuuri_ was sitting in _Viktor’s_ lap and not the other way around. He steadied himself with an arm around the coordinator’s shoulders, Viktor supporting him with a steady hand on the small of his back in turn.

“There,” he smiled, tucking a stubborn strand of hair behind Yuuri’s ear, “that’s better. Don’t think too much,” he tilted his head, a twinkle in his aquamarine orbs, “it’s just me.”

Yuuri worried his bottom lip slightly, “…just Viktor?”

The coordinator let out a laugh, “Just Viktor.” He agreed. “And Yuuri.”

The Dragon Master pondered for a moment, then nodded, “Just Yuuri.”

This time, when Viktor cupped his cheek, Yuuri’s heart raced and his skin tingled all over, but the nervous knot in his gut he had had earlier was replaced by fluttering Butterfrees. Viktor seemed to notice the change as well, probably because Yuuri’s hand wasn’t trembling any longer when he placed it on the coordinator’s cheek in turn.

Viktor smiled fondly, “Tilt your head a little.” He murmured, pulling his hand away slightly and coaxing Yuuri to follow to place his cheek back in it. He was barely aware of Viktor’s eyes fluttering close right before his own did.

In the end, he didn’t know who actually closed the gap, but Viktor would argue for years and years that it was Yuuri who had. He was probably right.

He wasn’t prepared for the outburst of Butterfrees in his stomach, or for his heart to Hi-Jump Kick his throat, the shock that it was actually happening trying hard to sink in and mostly failing.

Viktor’s lips were soft. So, so soft. Still, Yuuri could barely feel them, because his own lips were tingling from the moment they met Viktor’s.

It was short, the first one, like an appetizer to give a taste of what was to come. As they parted slightly, Yuuri opened his eyes to meet Viktor’s amazingly blue ones, just as expressive as ever as they asked a silent question.

Yuuri smiled. Actually, no, he didn’t. He _grinned_ , and Viktor mirrored it immediately. Encouraged by the reaction, the coordinator impatiently pulled Yuuri back towards him, the Dragon Master barely remembering to tilt his head again to prevent their noses from bumping.

While the first kiss had felt like an appetizer, the second one had Yuuri melting like cheese on the inside. He was smiling into the kiss and so was Viktor, the coordinator clearly attempting to pour a multitude of emotions into it, too, as if trying to further prove he really had wanted to ask Yuuri out for years.

Yuuri pulled himself a little closer, shifting slightly in Viktor’s lap, removing his hand from his cheek to carefully entangle in his, for once, loose silver strands.

_I… could get used to this._

 

There were so many thing Viktor wanted to tell Yuuri, and if he had to convey them through a kiss or a thousand for the Dragon Master to understand, then he would. For the time being, though, he relished in the fact that Yuuri was smiling. Into the kiss.

He was _happy_. Which made an already over-the-moon happy Viktor even more joyous.

Carefully so as not to scare the Dragon Master, Viktor pulled him a little closer still, holding onto him tightly. Yuuri shifted but didn’t pull away for a second.

Yes, there were many, many things Viktor still wanted to say, to know, and oh so much he wanted to _do_ , but it would all have to wait till another day. Instead, he threaded his fingers through Yuuri’s jet-black locks, surrendering to him as the Dragon Master gained a little confidence and took control of the kiss, unable to stop smiling.

Inexperienced or not, it seemed like instincts got them a bit down the road, at least.

And if they woke up the following morning to just continue where they left off, with rose-red lips and blossoming marks all over their necks…

…well, not even Chris or Phichit had to know that. At least not yet.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's two in the morning and I've been traveling hundreds of kilometers once again, but here we are, the second to last chapter.
> 
> Funny story, the kiss is entirely based on personal experience, and almost exactly like that. It was the sweetest first kiss I've ever had with a partner, so... *scratches neck sheepishly* Arceus, I was nervous about posting this chapter, I had two people read it instead of one person just to see how they would react, and no complaints came, so...*gulp* my scream is probably still echoing into the distance.
> 
> See you with chapter 26/26 next week!... and there's already some very rough drafts written for part 2 (no, I'm not done yet, I swear!), so if you want, let's say, a small teaser... that could probably be arranged ;)
> 
> Thank you all so much for love and support; you're all amazing! <3 Hugs!
> 
> P.S. I apologize in advance for possible errors; like I said, it's 2 am... I'll have a look on Friday :')


	26. Keep going

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rumors are running hot, Phichit and Chris are having the time of their life on the internet, and in between everything, Yuuri, Viktor, and their Pokémon are trying to figure out how it all is going to go from here.
> 
> Also, Viktor is a sap.

**Boys in Love? Top Coordinator Viktor Nikiforov and Dragon Master Yuuri Katsuki spark Dating Rumors** – _Poké Chic_

 

Katya yawned, irritated, stretching in her cooler and making the ice rustle around her as she turned over to poke her head up from the freezing sanctuary. She blinked her big, black eyes open, quickly adjusting to the darkness surrounding her and immediately located Ninetales. Her bigger teammate was looking straight at her, black eyes glimmering in the soft moonlight slipping in through the window.

She looked just as concerned as Katya felt.

“Eon.” She whined quietly, uncomfortably, ears twitching as she leapt out of the cooler and padded over to her friend.

“Niiine-tales.” She replied softly, pawing the floor anxiously, eyes flickering over to the slightly ajar door. There was definitely a sliver of light slipping in from outside.

“Glaceon.” Katya said, sitting down in front of Ninetales, flicking her tail. “Eon, glaaa-ceon.”

Ninetales mewled in response, booping Katya’s nose with her own.

“Ninetales.”

With another nudge from her teammate, Katya bolted to the door and slipped out, following the familiar scent of her trainer who definitely wasn’t in the room he usually slept in. She sniffed the air as she ran, the smell of ice, rain and the faintest hint of something sweet coming closer and closer. Finally, she found her trainer on the couch, hugging a ridiculously large pillow with shaking shoulders.

Katya frowned, flicking her tail.

The smell of _sad trainer_ was overwhelming, and that really wouldn’t do.

She jumped up on the couch and climbed on top of him, barely letting him register she was there before starting to lick his cheek. _Stop that_.

Her trainer turned, abandoning the pillow in favor of letting Katya take over. His face tasted salty, and even though Katya wasn’t too fond of the flavor, it could have been worse, really. He could have tasted like one of those horribly sugary puffs he rewarded Froslass with, for example.

Katya would have cringed at the thought, but _oh_ , he was scratching her behind the ears, and _yes, please, that’s the spot, don’t you_ dare _stop_. When had she started purring, by the way?

Her trainer was smiling up at her, eyes still wet with the salty liquid Katya was trying to remove from his face.

“Oh, Katya,” he sighed, “what do I do? I miss him...”

Katya frowned, booping her nose with his, “Eon.”

“I know, I know, sweetie,” her trainer replied apologetically, placing a kiss on her nose, never ceasing his ministrations in her chilly fur, “it’s been four days and I miss him _terribly_. How am I supposed to survive the contest season? Or when he’s away for tournaments?”

Katya shifted, settling down on his chest. She wondered very much if Salamence’s trainer missed her Vitya as much as he missed him.

“Glaceon.” She offered softly.

Truthfully, she missed the dragon trainer, too. He always paid attention to her and scratched her behind the ears just right, his smell was a soothing mix of sandalwood and dragons, and his homemade PokéPuffs tasted amazing (he should make more of them and more often, thank you very much), and those were only a few things among many that Katya liked about him. The best part, though, was that his mere presence made her trainer glow like he was about to perform a flawless Dazzling Gleam.

Katya’s purrs deepened as her trainer continued his ministrations. She had been with her Vitya ever since he found her years ago, that night she had been certain her short life had come to an end. She had gotten separated from her trainer in the raging snowstorm, and no matter how much she wandered around and cried out into the dark and the whirling snow, she couldn’t find her again. Back then, she had been an Eevee, too, with no resistance to the freezing weather conditions whatsoever, and eventually, collapsed.

She had woken up cradled against a small, warm human body, the brightest pair of blue eyes looking down at her with a desperate plea as the boy they belonged to presented her with an Ice Stone.

Katya had no idea what happened to her first trainer. The storm had separated them for good.

And her Vitya had become her trainer instead, and he had been so for a long time – longer than her former trainer had. He had saved her life, taken her in, and cared for her. Then, he had started training with her, and _oh Rainbow PokéBlock_ , had Katya loved that. Contests were the best thing in the entire world, and she could take center stage and have a _bunch_ of trainers fawning over her as she showed off the routines she and her trainer had made together before returning to his arms for puffs and praise.

Her Vitya called her spoiled (entirely his own fault), needy (she wasn’t going to admit anything, and a diva (completely his fault). Katya didn’t really care. She _loved_ standing in the spotlight.

…okay, maybe she was a diva. Maybe. Still, there was something euphoric about the feeling of leaping into her trainer’s welcoming arms after a well-executed routine, when he smiled so brightly that the sun paled in comparison.

Like he did when he was with the dragon trainer Katya liked. Her Vitya called him Yuuri, but Salamence and the other dragons called him Yuu-chan. Katya thought it cute.

And right now, her Vitya was definitley missing Salamence’s Yuu-chan, and he also definitely needed to sleep.

“Eon.” Katya mewled softly, placing her head on her paws, looking at her trainer. He was still scratching her behind the ear, and as she spoke, he let out a laugh and leaned up to kiss her nose again.

“You miss him, too, huh?” he murmured.

Katya let out a huff through her nose, “Eon, glaceon!”

 _Of course I miss him, stupid Vitya_.

Her trainer sighed, running his hand along her back soothingly. Katya’s purring deepened. It felt really, _really_ nice.

“He’ll be back next week.” Her Vitya continued, still looking at her, even though Katya was fairly certain he was talking mostly to himself. “Next week.” He frowned. “It’s too long!”

Katya’s ears twitched, annoyance creeping up her spine. Her trainer was supposed to relax, sleep, dream of Salamence’s Yuu-chan and then go with her and the others to the Contest Hall in the morning to train. She flicked her tail, frowning right back at him.

“Eon!” she stated almost angrily. Her Vitya sighed.

“You’re right,” he agreed softly, “you’re right. I should sleep…” he took a secure hold of her before rising from the couch and standing up. Katya nuzzled his neck, feeling the distress linger in his every movement, “…I’ll have a cup of tea and try again.

Normally, Katya would have slept in her cooler. She wanted, _needed_ , the cold, but her Vitya also needed to sleep. So, instead of going to the cooler, Katya opted to curl up beside her trainer in his bed, freezing her fur to keep her body temperature low while waiting for her trainer to drift off.

She fell asleep before he did.

 

 **Are Yuuri Katsuki and Viktor Nikiforov Dating? Here are the Photos Raising Eyebrows** – _Pokémon Journal_

 

Haxorus had always been grateful for Altaria. Ever since she was a Swablu, and he a much smaller Fraxure, he had been grateful for her. The day she showed up just outside Mauville was a blessing, and he knew Salamence, who had been a mere Bagon back then, was just as grateful as he was.

“Haaaxorus.” He decided to comment to his long-time friend and teammate.

“Saaalamence.” He rumbled in response.

Their trainer was currently sound asleep enveloped in Altaria’s cotton wings while she continued humming softly in her soprano voice, lulling Hydreigon off to Cresselia’s realm in the process. Ever since the coordinator human left, their trainer had been down, not really talking to anyone beside the people closest to him, mostly to his Alolan friend with the adorable Dedenne that Haxorus had grown fond of (she always gave him some of those teeny tiny puffs she liked, which he found exceedingly cute).

He remembered the day he met his Yuu-chan so clearly, and he still thought of it as the best day of his life. He had been an Axew, and Iris had taken care of him back then, together with Drayden, he remembered. And then, one day, a boy had come out to play with him. A boy who smelled of sandalwood and dragons that petted him and played fetch and yes, Haxorus (Axew) would like to stay with this trainer, thank you very much. He could still scarcely believe his luck that the boy had offered him a PokéBall back then.

His Yuu-chan, Haxorus knew, had always been anxious. Always. It had been up to him and Salamence (Bagon) to drag him along the gyms of Hoenn, and Haxorus was certain that hadn’t they been stubborn enough, Yuu-chan would have returned home. He had been so scared when they struggled in Mauville, scared that Yuu-chan would decide they should go home (which would have made Bagon throw a temper tantrum strong enough to tear a hole in the fabric of space, probably).

But then, Altaria (Swablu) had showed up and joined the team, and Haxorus and Salamence knew they were saved. Whenever Yuu-chan’s nerves got the better of him, she was by his side, using her humming to calm him down.

There had hardly been any sleepless nights for their Yuu-chan after that.

“Salamence.” His teammate said slowly. Haxorus glanced over at him.

“Haxo-ruuus.” He replied. Salamence turned his head towards him.

“…saaa-lamence.”

Of course, they knew exactly why their Yuu-chan needed Altaria right now. The coordinator human.

His team called him Vitya, and their Yuu-chan liked him very, very much. He also missed him very, very much.

“Haxorus.” He settled for telling his friend. Salamence huffed out a puff of smoke, but didn’t reply.

Haxorus knew Salamence had a hard time trusting anyone that wasn’t part of the team. Hydreigon was even worse. He also knew that Salamence had attempted to test the coordinator several times, trying to figure him out. Haxorus could honestly not understand what the problem was. Coordinator human Vitya was very sweet, and did Salamence not see how their Yuu-chan’s eyes lit up whenever they landed on Katya’s trainer? Salamence would never deny Yuu-chan happiness, of course, but he could at least try to be nice to the silver-haired human who made their trainer smile as bright as a Sunny Day.

Haxorus decided to tell him so.

Salamence replied with a low rumble and a slow exhale, a small flame escaping his nostrils. Then, he turned his head, eyes narrowing.

“Saaalamence.” He rumbled. No, actually, he growled.

Haxorus caught on, standing up to full height as Salamence did the same. Hydreigon sensed the commotion and woke up with an angry growl, immediately by their side, three heads hissing.

The humans with cameras that had been sneaking around stood frozen in place as Haxorus and Salamence glared at them. Hydreigon, of course, couldn’t see them but knew exactly in which direction to hiss and growl. They were soon joined by Dragonite and Flygon, who had been entertaining the Alolan trainer’s team a bit further away.

“Guys, I think we’d better go…” one of the humans said, taking careful steps backwards, not knowing if he should look at Salamence or Hydreigon, who were undoubtedly the two seemingly most threatening.

They ran off.

“Thank you.”

Haxorus and his teammates looked down to find their trainer right there, between himself and Hydreigon, Altaria cooing softly right behind him. His Yuu-chan patted Haxorus’ leg and he sat down, letting his trainer climb up on it, sitting down as the team gathered around waiting for him to say something more.

“Thank you,” he repeated looking around at them with a soft smile and an all too sad glimmer in his eyes, “for staying with me.”

Haxorus honestly could not fathom why his Yuu-chan _would_ or _could_ possibly think any single one of them wanted to be anywhere else. He was the best trainer he could have ever asked for, and the thrill of getting to defend his trainer was overwhelming every time they entered a battle.

“Haxoruuuus.” He told his trainer as much.

Warm, brown eyes looked up at him, smiling through the sadness, “I love you, too.”

He could only hope that the Vitya-trainer would be at home waiting for his Yuu-chan when it was time to go back.

 

 **Is Appeal Super-Effective on Master Trainers? 5 Things to know about Viktor Nikiforov’s Rumored Boyfriend** – _Spotlight_

 

_“Suuuuup, y’all! It’s time for me to help y’all troubled youngsters with your traumas, like totally! It’s Trouble Talk time! Lessee… Our letter today is from ‘Silver Sunshine.’ Yo, thanks for watching, Silver Sunshine!_

_“Now, whatta we got here… ‘My boyfriend and I have just gotten together, and I want to take him on a date. Do you have any suggestions?’ Smooooth! Young love, huh? Hmm… I’ve got it! The hottest date spot these days has gotta be Sootopolis City! Rumor has it that any couple who watches the water illusion show that Wallace puts on with his Luvdisc will be together forever! Strictly a rumor, of course. Wallace only does these shows when he feels like it, so there’s no guarantee you and your sweetheart can catch one… Guess you’ll have to trust to luck! I’ve got my fingers crossed for you!”_

Wallace couldn’t say he was too surprised when his Xtransciever went off late on the evening of the second to last day of the Pokémon League Tournament. He grinned before he even answered, immediately greeted by the moving image of his former student on the screen, blue eyes wide and sparkling.

“Vitya,” he greeted, moving back inside from the balcony of his hotel room, closing the door behind him, “good evening.”

“Evening,” the Sinnohan greeted back, sounding slightly breathless, “I needed to ask you something.”

Wallace hummed, sitting down in the armchair closest to the window, giving Viktor an encouraging smile, “How can I help you?”

Viktor worried his bottom lip slightly, but then grinned, “I need a favor… if you’ve got the time.”

The Sootopolitan tilted his head, grin widening, “I’m all ears, darling.”

 

 **Viktor Nikiforov: Get to know the Coordinator stealing Master Trainer Yuuri Katsuki’s Heart** – _Battle!_

 

“Yuuri!”

Yuuri barely made it inside the door of his apartment before a whirl of silver hair was all over him, and he instinctively let go off his suitcase to embrace Viktor in turn, laughing as he buried his face in his shoulder.

“Hi.” He murmured into the silvery strands. “Finally.”

Viktor inhaled deeply, letting out a content sigh, “I’ve missed you.” He pulled back slightly, a sheepish grin on his lips. “I swear I was going to make you dinner, but I might have accidentally burnt it, so I got us some take-out on my way here instead, hope you don’t mind, I’m s-”

He got cut-off mid-sentence when Yuuri, with that spark of steel determination in his warm, maroon eyes, grabbed the lapels of Viktor’s button down-sweater and pulled him in for a kiss, effectively shutting him up and refusing the unnecessary apology. Viktor was probably just as surprised by Yuuri’s boldness as Yuuri was himself, but regained composure quickly enough to wrap his arms around the Dragon Master’s waist to pull him close, his hands resting on Viktor’s shoulders.

_I’ve missed you._

_Welcome home._

Yuuri used another burst of steel determination to break the kiss, leaving them both out of breath, resting their foreheads together.

“Take-out is more than enough.” He told the dork grinning down at him, realizing he probably looked as much a grinning dork himself as Viktor did.

“I’m going to get that recipe right sooner or later.” Viktor promised confidently, tilting his head. “But for now, take-out will have to do. I imagine you want to shower first, though.”

“I do.” Yuuri confirmed, reluctantly letting go off Viktor, who was already reaching for his suitcase. “And we need to feed our teams.”

 

“By the way,” Viktor said casually, straddling Yuuri on the couch after they had recalled their teams back into their PokéBalls, “you didn’t have anything planned for the next weekend, did you?”

Yuuri was fighting a blush and possibly other problems, getting revenge by all too casually placing his hands to rest on Viktor’s thighs.

“Well, apart from training with you, I don’t.” He confirmed, blinking up at the coordinator curiously. “Why?”

Viktor grinned, “Because I’d like to take a trip to Sootopolis on Saturday.” He smiled sweetly, tilting his head. “With you.”

Yuuri blinked again, “Sure.” He agreed, somewhat confused but happy to comply. “Any particular reason?”

Still smiling, Viktor leaned in to place a soft kiss on his lips, his breath hot against Yuuri’s tingling lips as he replied:

“It’s a surprise.”

 

 **Chris**  
You’re all over every forum on the net, darling ;) ( link)  
_Does Appeal Work on Master Trainers? Top Coordinator Viktor Nikiforov seen Holding Hands with World Reknowned Dragon Master_ contestweb.sh

 

“What is he like?” Ekaterina Nikiforov asked her husband, smiling at the pictures in the latest issue of Pokémon Journal, “This sweet boy who Vitya’s been admiring for years?”

Alexander chuckled, “That’s exactly what he is; sweet, I mean. Also highly determined and exceedingly hard-working,” his smile widened, “and he likes our Vitya very much.”

Katyusha smiled, amethysts sparkling as she looked up at her husband, “I’m glad. When do I get to meet him, Sasha?”

“Well,” her husband winked, placing a hand on top of hers, “Vitya asked him to come to Lumiose, and I believe he said yes.”

 

 **Phichit**  
Even the Trainer Forum picked up on this. You really haven’t been that subtle, Katsuki :PPP ( link)  
_Pokémon League Champion Rumored to be Dating Top Coordinator - is Yuuri Katsuki giving Viktor Nikiforov Battling Advice?_ pkmntrainer.io

 

“Isn’t that the coordinator Yuuri had plastered on every inch of his wall in his room before he moved to Lilycove?” Mari asked, furrowing her brows in recognition, “Nikiforov?”

“It is.” Hiroko smiled brightly, scissors already in hand to cut out the photos of her son and said coordinator from the _Battle!_ -magazine. Before Mari had time to ask anything else, the front door opened and Minako stormed into the dining area, waving the latest issue of _Spotlight_ in her hand with a bewildered look on her face.

“What’s this about Yuuri dating Viktor Nikiforov?” she demanded to know instantly, ignoring her Espeon’s annoyance over her trainer’s behavior, “Is it true?”

Hiroko smiled warmly, “Of course it is. I hope Yuu-chan brings him here soon so I can meet Vicchan; he seems like a charming young man.”

“Exactly, a _man_.” Minako gestured to the magazine in her hand. “Yuuri’s still a _boy!_ ”

“He’s eighteen.” Mari reminded her bluntly. The former Kimono Girl gaped like a Magikarp on dry land.

“That’s beside the point!” she decided, stubbornly showing the magazine in Mari’s face, “What’s Nikiforov’s game, huh? What does he want with our Yuu-chan?”

“Yuu-chan likes Vicchan very much.” Hiroko said fondly, completely unfazed by Minako’s behavior. “And Vicchan sure seems to like our Yuu-chan back.” She added, gently placing down yet another cut-out photo of the two in question holding hands, before looking up at her old friend. “Yuu-chan has been on the road for many years, and he can take care of himself. His team looks after him.”

Minako inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, defeat seeping into her slumping shoulders.

“I’m still giving that boy a shovel talk the moment he’s within hearing range.”

Hiroko chuckled, “I think Salamence can do that for you.”

Mari handed her mother the _Spotlight_ -issue to resume her cutting. Minako didn’t even protest.

 

 **Chris**  
This is my favorite so far, your swimwear is too delicious to be ignored ;) Is Katsuki really that ripped, by the way? I’d kill for those thighs ;D ( link)  
_Beauty on the Beach: Stunning Viktor Nikiforov Enjoying the Slateport Sun with Rumored Boyfriend Hottie Yuuri Katsuki - watch exclusive photos_ whismurs.hn

 

“Do you think it’s true?”

Michele Crispino looked up at his twin sister with a puzzled frown, “Do I think what’s true?”

Sara worried the inside of her cheek slightly, not taking her eyes away from her phone, “Do you think it’s true that Master Katsuki is dating Viktor Nikiforov?” she elaborated.

Her brother replied with a shrug of disinterest, looking back down at his notes for training strategies in preparation for the Hoenn Battle Resort Master Challenge, “Probably. They were all over each other at the Tournament.” He completely missed the frown on his sister’s face as she continued to scroll through the photos on the Trainer Forum, absentmindedly running her fingers through the sleeping Ampharos’ slightly static fur while she did.

Michele frowned at his notes, “Should we spar tomorrow? Talonflame could use some accuracy-training.”

Sara finally looked up from her phone.

“Yeah,” she finally agreed, hand pausing in Ampharos’ fur, “Chesnaught should definitely practice defense against Gallade.”

There was an unmistakable bitterness in her tone. Michele looked up again, sighing slightly.

“You made it to the champion round.” He reminded her, offering a smile. “And you were very close to beating both Iris and Diantha.”

“Both attempts pathetic.” Sara grumbled, still moody after suffering five losses against five champions in a row. “Master Katsuki won Alder on his first try.”

Michele sighed again, placing the notebook and pen down altogether.

“Look, you can’t compare it like that.” He attempted to remind her. “Yuuri Katsuki is only the twelfth Pokémon League Champion in history, remember? Only eleven people before him has managed to beat absolutely every single League-representative Master Trainer available for challenge in the PLT. Also, there was a year when he didn’t manage to beat any of the champions he was up against.”

“And then he won both Steven and Cynthia in one go.”

“My point is,” Michele ignored the comment, “it’s not comparable. He’s not comparable. You’re a fantastic trainer and a strong battler, you hear me? Katsuki is out of everyone’s league.”

Sara glanced down at the picture of the handsome Dragon Master and his illegally attractive (supposed) boyfriend, hand in hand by a stand with incenses at the Slateport Market. Her fingers dug a little further into Ampharos’ static wool.

“Yeah,” she agreed quietly, “he is.”

 

 **Phichit**  
:DDD You made it all the way to Alola! Way to go, Mister Master Trainer! xD ( link)  
_Another Win for the Pokémon League Champion? Dragon Master Katsuki Spotted Together with World Famous Top Coordinator at the Pokémon League Tournament_ sunandmoon.al

 

“What’s this?”

“What’s what?” Lisia blinked, accepting the magazine that was more or less shoved in her face, “That’s Vitya and Master Katsuki at the Pokémon League Tournament.”

“Holding hands.” Chaz stated the obvious.

“Yeah, holding hands.” Lisia repeated, giving him a puzzled look. “Why is this something to be surprised about?”

Chaz frowned, “What do you mean?”

Lisia frowned back, “Vitya’s admired him for years. Didn’t you know?” Chaz slowly shook his head, causing her face to break into a grin, “Are you _jealous?_ ”

Chaz scowled at his self-appointed rival (and best friend), “Jealous? Why would I be _jealous?_ ”

“Well,” Lisia hummed, placing the magazine on the table, “you could be jealous because Vitya’s surely getting battling advice from a genius Master Trainer.” She tilted her head curiously. “Or, you could be jealous because you like Vitya.”

Chaz choked on his coffee and had to spit half of it out on the ground. Lisia looked entirely unapologetic.

“Ah,” she grinned, assessing his burning cheeks and murderous glare, “someone’s crush just got taken.”

She received zero response.

 

 **Wallace**  
We’ll begin at seven. Feel free to have a rooftop seat ;)

 

“Wow.”

Viktor’s breath hitched at the sound of pure and honest awe in Yuuri’s voice as Wallace’s Luvdisc rose from the lake in a sphere filled with water, which burst into diamond dust, catching the sun’s rays and creating a rainbow. Watching the display, Viktor silently wondered why Wallace didn’t use Luvdisc as his main performer during contests more often.

“Remarkable,” Yuuri breathed again and Viktor fought against a _certain_ cardiac arrest at the breathlessness in his tone, “what is he using to create those rippling mirrors? Water Pulse?”

“I’d guess he’s using Round, considering the sound.”

Yuuri’s maroon eyes lit up in understanding, “Ah, of course. And Double Team to make it look like reflections.”

Viktor grinned, “You could be a coordinator.”

His boyfriend flushed bright Cherubi-pink, “I have zero imagination.” He mumbled.

“I beg to differ.”

Yuuri shifted a little closer in response, worrying his bottom lip. Viktor waited while he gathered courage and determination, and was then pleasantly surprised (yet again) when Yuuri placed an arm around his waist.

Definitely fighting a cardiac arrest.

Viktor shifted even closer, pressing their sides together, and he swore the smile on Yuuri’s lips looked pleased. It sent an enjoyable shudder up his spine.

“Oh, look!” Yuuri suddenly said, snapping Viktor out of his thoughts, “That’s a tribute to you!”

_Huh?_

Viktor quickly turned his head in time to see Luvdisc finish an Ice Beam that she had used to create an arch above her, Hail raining down from it like sparkling crystals. He couldn’t help but smile widely.

“You remember that routine!” he realized with glee, throwing his arms around Yuuri’s shoulders to pull him into a hug. Yuuri laughed.

“I’m your biggest fan, remember?” he grinned at Viktor, quickly pecking his cheek, “I couldn’t forget. Ninetales’ routine during your fourth exhibition season.” His cheeks tinted Bounsweet pink. “For the Hoenn tour.”

 _Oh Palkia_ , Viktor’s heart was going to burst. He buried his face into the crook of Yuuri’s neck, whimpering.

“You and Dragonite used Thunderbolt against Wallace’s Milotic during your first Pokémon League Tournament to win the battle.” He stated. Yuuri let out a snort.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Nothing.” Viktor said stubbornly. “But I’m your biggest fan, too, and I’m making sure you remember it.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“So are you.”

“I know.”

They turned their attention back to Wallace’s water illusion show in time to see Luvdisc send a Sweet Kiss through a series of expanding Aqua Rings, giving it a boost with a Heal Pulse.

“You know,” Viktor shifted, placing his head on Yuuri’s shoulder, leaning cheek to cheek, “it’s said that any couple who watches this show will be together forever.”

Yuuri hummed, a soothing, soft vibration sending a pleasant shiver down Viktor’s spine, “Do you think it’s true?”

He couldn’t have stopped the smile whether he had wanted to or not.

“I think it is.”

He could feel the burning Heatwave spread on Yuuri’s cheeks, turning his head as he felt Yuuri doing the same. Maroon eyes met aquamarine blue in the last light of the day, the soft sound of rippling water from the show on the lake and the white noise from the ocean beyond the rocky walls the only sounds cutting through the stillness and silence of the approaching night.

Then there was a warm hand on his cool cheeks and Yuuri’s slightly chapped lips were on his in a soft kiss. While somewhere in the back of his head noting that he needed to get his boyfriend some lip balm, Viktor kissed him back, letting Yuuri set the pace. Slow and languid and ever so thorough, the endearing streak of inexperience still lingering when Yuuri hesitantly traced Viktor’s bottom lip with his tongue and made him melt.

_I know it’s true._

 

“What’s so funny?” Viktor pouted at Yuuri, who had to break the kiss to surrender to a sudden fit of giggles, which was entirely adorable, but Viktor would _very much_ like to continue where they left off the previous night instead.

“Sorry, sorry!” Yuuri apologized, reaching for the water bottle on the nightstand to take a gulp before lying down once more, “It’s just…” he giggled again, chocolate eyes sparkling as he looked at Viktor, “…if someone had told me a year ago that I would end up in bed with Viktor Nikiforov, I would have called them a liar and had a heart attack. Maybe not in that order.”

 _Ah_. Viktor propped himself up on his elbow to grin down at him.

“Well, to be fair,” he said, tracing a finger along the lines of Yuuri’s chest, “if someone had told _me_ a year ago I’d end up in bed with Yuuri Katsuki, I would probably have done the same… and then demanded to know how I could possibly make it happen anyway.” He paused. “Actually, Chris has teased me about it for years. That doesn’t count, though.”

Yuuri hummed, placing a hand on Viktor’s cheek to coax him down for a kiss, “What counts, then?” he asked curiously.

Viktor hummed back, kissing him again, "You. Here and now.”

The Dragon Master grinned, “You’re a sap.”

Viktor bent down to kiss him, grinning against his lips, “I’m _your_ sap.” _Kiss_. “And my Yuuri’s biggest fan.”

_I love you._

He was positive Yuuri stopped breathing for a moment before capturing his lips again in a passionate kiss.

“But I’m Vitya’s biggest fan.” He reminded him, and Viktor’s head reeled, because Yuuri called him _Vitya_ , and he could definitely die happy now. Not that he had time to die when Yuuri was pushing him down onto the bed to straddle him.

The meaning of his words didn’t get lost in the moment, though. No; Viktor had heard them clear as day.

_I love you, too._

 

_If you’ve come this far, what choice do you have but to keep going?  
See you next level._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took this long; it's been a hellish week, and I'm still recovering from a persistent fever... I'll get back to my mistakes later *swallows another 800 milligrams of ibuprofen*
> 
> I had no idea which version of this chapter I was going to post, so it ended up as a fusion and... here we are. This was really hard to put together, because I initially planned on ending the fic right after their first date (=last chapter), but then I was nudged-nudged-nudged to write a final chapter with "bits and pieces" and just a little teasing for the next part, showing what their actions have started not only for them, but for the people around them. 
> 
> And in saying that, remember, this isn't the end, but only the beginning. 
> 
> Also, there are a few (really, a couple) shamelessly quoted references directly from the games in this chapter that I absolutely couldn't resist. I always wondered what Wallace's water illusion show would look like...
> 
> And BONUS! Next week, I'll be posting a teaser for part 2 as a chapter 27, so we're not done with this just yet! I've started writing it, at least rough drafts, but I will take a small break from this verse now to clear my head a bit before plunging into the next part. My summer is going to be a wonderful nightmare (we're hosting an enormous dance festival in my hometown at the end of July and I'm terribly involved in it, to voice my main reason for "I'm going to die"-stress at the moment), but since writing is my escape... I will hold onto the hope I will still be able to update somewhat regularly from now on. I just need a small breather.
> 
> So, for those waiting for the Hogwarts AU... wait another couple of weeks (and pray my schedule holds) :P chapters 1-8 are pretty much finished.
> 
> And then, the most important part: THANK YOU ALL eternally and endlessly for your continuous love and support! Writer or not, I find it exceedingly hard to describe in any existing language how much I appreciate every kudos and comment and EVERYTHING, and how much I appreciate every single one of you. Thank you so much for sharing this (start of the) journey with me <3 it has been my pleasure, and I dearly hope it has been enjoyable for you, too ^.^


	27. Teasing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A couple of teasers (two of the more finished scenes) of the work-in-progress that is part 2 of this series, The End of the Land and the Top of the Sky.
> 
> Also, a little bonus scene from between chapter 25 and 26 ;) Enjoy!

”Come here,” Yuuri murmured, motioning for Viktor to sit down on the puffy beanbag in front of him, ”relax. You must be exhausted.”

Despite everything, the pressure of the competition added on top of the recent events that had led to many restless nights, Viktor found himself smiling. He willingly sank down on the beanbag, positioned in front of the couch where his boyfriend was sitting, settling himself between Yuuri’s legs. He let out a long sigh when he felt gentle fingers card through his longs strands of silver before they moved to carefully massage his neck, which was stiff and sore with tension.

All of it was slowly melting away under the Dragon Master’s touch.

“How is it,” Viktor wondered aloud, voice quiet and honest, “that regardless of how bad my day has been, you can still make me smile?”

He could only picture Yuuri’s pink cheeks behind him.

“…what kind of boyfriend would I be if I couldn’t?”

The reply was just as quiet, just as honest. Viktor’s heart swelled in his chest to the point it was physically painful, a thick lump forming in his throat, making salt sting in the back of his eyes.

“Yuuri…” his voice cracked, hands curling to fist the fabric of Yuuri’s sweatpants.

“Shh,” the Dragon Master hushed, placing a kiss on top of Viktor’s silver locks, breaking the sob that threatened to escape Viktor’s lips, “breathe; you must have a nightmarish headache.” He paused. “Want Altaria to help you out?”

Viktor shook his head ‘no’, heeding the advice and actively attempting to inhale and exhale more slowly and evenly.

“It’s okay.” He assured. “Just… don’t stop.”

Yuuri hummed, “All right.” Another pause. “…I made scones. Want some hot chocolate?”

Viktor stilled. Then, he stopped thinking.

Grabbing his boyfriend’s hands, he turned around to catch his soft, slightly chapped lips in a kiss, trying to convey the multitude of emotions that were increasingly successful in tearing him apart and strip him bare, all for Yuuri to see and have. Rendering them both breathless as he pulled away, Viktor turned all the way around to face the Dragon Master, resting their foreheads together.

“You spoil me,” he murmured, guilt rising from his gut and settling in his throat, chest tightening as he recalled how he had treated Yuuri earlier, even if none of what had passes had been his fault, and the fact that he knew Yuuri hadn’t taken any of it personally, understanding where it came from. Still, “I don’t deserve it, Yuuri, I’m s-“

The Dragon Master made him swallow the apology with another kiss.

“You were stressed and panicked, and needed time to think and process everything.” He said softly, kissing him again, gentle and patient. “But if it makes you feel better, then I’ll accept your unnecessary apology.”

Viktor sighed heavily, heart about to burst as he embraced him, burying his face into the crook of Yuuri’s neck. He felt a pair of steady and strong arms settle around his waist, relishing the contact.

“I want to make it up to you, still.” He told his boyfriend, nuzzling him. “How can I?”

Yuuri giggled softly at his ministrations.

“Well,” he murmured into Viktor’s ear, sending a pleasant shudder up his spine, “you have to accept that you’re loved and forgiven.” He pecked his cheek. “And you’re obliged to have scones and hot chocolate with me right now.”

There was no stopping the all too emotional laugh from escaping Viktor’s lips.

“Case in point,” he grinned, leaning back slightly to claim Yuuri’s lips briefly again, “I don’t deserve you at all.”

Yuuri’s cheeks were flushed a healthy Cherubi-pink.

“I wholeheartedly beg to differ.”

 

**

 

Sara let out a long breath before stepping onto the platform, heartbeat rapidly increasing in her chest as it elevated her towards the trainer stand. She swallowed a nervous lump that had formed in her throat, her internal organs tying themselves into a painfully tight knot that settled in the pit of her stomach.

Focus, focus, _focus!_

She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly right before the platform stopped moving and she stepped onto the trainer stand instead, taking in the arena below her. Half the court was grass and the other half sand, no rocks or waterbodies as far as the eye could see, in contrast to how Master Lance preferred it.

Then again, it wasn’t Master Lance she was up against.

The deafening noise from the audience told Sara that her opponent had stepped onto the field and was no doubt being elevated upwards to the trainer stand at that very moment. Her adrenaline spiked, mouth going dry as the only thing she could soon hear was the rush of blood thrumming against her eardrums, eyes fixed on the trainer stand on the opposite side of the court.

Her breath hitched involuntarily, and she felt Chesnaught’s PokéBall vibrate slightly in concern, but he didn’t jump out. Thankfully.

Dragon Master Yuuri Katsuki looked every bit as intimidating as Lance, Drayden and Clair (to name a few), standing on the League’s side of the arena, dressed in his black and indigo battling coat, hair slicked back and no glasses, Mega Stone glinting in the sunlight and highlighting the Dragon Master-pin on his chest. His sharp, dark eyes looked straight at her, as if he was reading her like a book. If it weren’t for her paralyzed state, Sara knew her knees would have given way beneath her.

Because holy mighty _Arceus_ was Master Katsuki as gorgeous as ever.

He crossed his arms over his chest, expression never changing as his gaze seemed to pierce her soul, as if he could see all her weaknesses by using the sense of sight alone.

But then, he turned his head to the side, and suddenly, his expression softened slightly, up to the point Sara could have sworn he was wearing the smallest of smiles. She involuntarily followed his gaze, heart sinking from her chest to her stomach as she realized what he was looking at.

Or rather, _who_.

There was no mistaking the hair that shone like starlit silver in the audience, the figure in question having a Glaceon seated in his lap as he waved at Yuuri, probably sporting a dazzling smile on his lips as he did. Not that she could see.

Forcing herself to tear her gaze away, Sara turned her attention back to the opposing Dragon Master, frowning in determination. She had come to win a battle.

…and _that_ , was going to be anything but easy.

 

**

 

BONUS! Back in Slateport, between chapter 25 and 26…

Yuuri didn’t know if he wanted to laugh, look away, or admit that he actually might have enjoyed the view a little too much, all options seemingly too embarrassing to carry out. He therefore settled for doing none of those things, barely suppressing his laughter as he cleared his throat:

“Viktor,” he spoke, catching the unfairly attractive coordinator’s attention, “why do you have…?” he couldn’t even finish the question, he realized, and opted to motion towards the general direction of the source of his puzzled amusement instead.

“Ah,” Viktor grinned as he realized what Yuuri was talking about, somewhat sheepish, yet entirely unapologetic, “I thought you’d never ask. He twirled around, showing off, and _nope_ , it wasn’t good for Yuuri’s bodily functions at all. “It’s Chris’ fault.” Viktor explained.

“Obviously.” Yuuri agreed, unable to hold back the amusement from his tone any longer. “But you still chose to wear them.”

“Well,” Viktor smirked, voice dropping an octave lower than usual as he sauntered over to the increasingly flustered Dragon Master to lean in and murmur against the shell of his ear, “would you have preferred a thong?”

Blood was rushing to all the wrong places in Yuuri’s treacherous body, and there was nothing he could do about it. Totally the coordinator’s fault.

Then again, despite the embarrassment, Yuuri reminded himself that it still was _Viktor_ who was about to go out onto the beach wearing Luvdisc-patterned swimwear and not himself. Feeling bold due to the thought, Yuuri leaned a little forward to breathe against Viktor’s ear:

“Maybe.”

He swore the coordinator momentarily stopped breathing. Then, he could feel the grin more than he could see it.

“Yuuuuuri,” Viktor cooed, hands coming to rest on his slim hips, “we’re never going to make it to the actual beach if you keep doing that.”

“Doing what?” he inquired, feeling ever so slightly smug. Viktor leaned back to smirk at him, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Saying things that make me want to kiss you.”

Yuuri tilted his head, ignoring the Heatwave washing over him as best he could, “Is that a bad thing?”

“Yes,” Viktor nodded with an attempted serious expression on his face, “it’s very bad. I have swimwear on!”

Two could play this game.

Yuuri decided so as he grabbed Viktor’s cheeks and pulled him in for a kiss, deep and intense. Viktor let out an involuntary moan, losing himself in the maze that was Yuuri Katsuki’s unpredictability, forgetting about his swimwear-embarrassment for a moment (even though Chris had been right; he secretly liked Luvdiscs).

In fact, he forgot the existence of time and space when Yuuri kissed him, and he had no idea where reality ended and dream began during the moments when they were alone in the universe.

The bubble of bliss popped when Yuuri broke the kiss, grinning deviously at his boyfriend.

That was when Viktor flushed down to his chest, because only then did he realized what Yuuri had done. He also realized he was screwed when Yuuri leaned in to murmur in his ear again:

“That’s for the mental thong-image.”

Viktor groaned as the Dragon Master pulled away completely to grab his towel and headed towards the door, leaving the coordinator with a problem he absolutely never wanted to have in a public space ever.

“ _Not fair!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the addition is just for you, TheDisreputableDog <3 The Luvdiscs are definitely making a comeback in part 2, though... I mean, Chris will still be there and everything :'D and also, thank you again, Hextraordinary, for Bagon, Dratini and Deino! Deino is so adorable I constantly need to pet him in Pokémon Refresh, bellyrubs are very important...
> 
> Also... Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon?! O.O
> 
> Thank you all ENDLESSLY for sharing this Pokémon journey with me so far! Lots of love and heaps of hugs ^.^


	28. Team Roundup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! *waves* It’s been a while, but I remember I did at some point promise part 2 (that is the third part of this series… because I’m doing this a little out of order) would start appearing before Christmas. And there’s still a week to go until then, so… made it? :’D

Before moving on to part 2 of the series (yes, the first chapter is up!), I thought I’d come back here to Competing for Your Attention a little to do a roundup of Yuuri and Viktor’s teams, as I realized I haven’t done that since approximately chapter 9. It may as well serve as a kind-of recap at the same time.

Let’s get to it!

F = female  
M = male  
(move) = remains from previous evolution and not listed in the evolved Pokémon’s moveset  
**Move** = a move the Pokémon favors or excels at

The Pokémon will be listed in the order their trainer has obtained them.  
Stats are listed from highest to lowest.

 

 

Yuuri’s team

 

Haxorus (M) - Axe Jaw Pokémon

Dex no: 612

Dex entry: They are kind but can be relentless when defending territory. These Pokémon are covered in hard armor.

 _Battle!_ -magazine: Master Katsuki’s Haxorus is slightly bigger than a normal Haxorus, reaching above two meters in height. Master Katsuki admits he still plays fetch with his long-time companion.

Gained: as an Axew from the Drayden (and Iris) at the Unova dragon ranch

Type: dragon

Abilty: Mold Breaker (moves can be used and are effective on the target regardless of its ability)

Nature: Naive (raised speed, lowered special defense, favors sweet flavors and dislikes bitter)

Character: proud of its power (favors attack)

Stats: attack, speed, defense, HP, special defense, special attack

Moveset: **Aerial Ace** , Assurance, Aqua Tail, Brick Break, Brutal Swing, Bulldoze, Confide, **Counter** , Double Team, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Tail, Dual Chop, Earthquake, Endure, Focus Blast, **Focus Energy** , Guillotine, Harden, Hone Claws, Iron Tail, Laser Focus, Leer, Night Slash, Payback, Poison Jab, Protect, Razor Wind, **Return** , Reversal, Rock Slide, (Scratch), Shadow Claw, Shock Wave, Slash, Surf, Swords Dance, Taunt, X-Scissor

 

Salamence (M) - Dragon Pokémon

Dex no: 373

Dex entry: As a result of its long-held dream of flying, its cellular structure changed, and wings grew out. If enraged, it becomes uncontrollable.

Mega Evolution dex entry: Called “The Blood-Soaked Crescent”, anything and anyone in its path is in danger of getting sliced in two by its blade-like wings. If angered, it might even turn against the trainer who raised it.

 _Battle!_ -magazine: Highly protective of its trainer, Master Katsuki’s Salamence is the biggest known specimen of its kind, reaching above 2.5 meters from head to toe. Exceedingly well-trained, though terrifyingly intimidating, one needn’t worry about the dragon attacking without a direct command from his trainer, not even in its Mega Evolved form.

Gained: as a gift from Drake after he witnessed Yuuri coax Axew through his evolution to Fraxure

Type: dragon/flying

Mega Evolution type: dragon/flying

Ability: Moxie (boosts attack after knocking out another Pokémon)

Mega Evolution ability: Aerilate (turns normal-type moves into flying-type moves)

Nature: Adamant (raised attack, lowered special attack, favors spicy flavors and dislikes dry)

Character: likes to thrash about (favors attack)

Stats: attack, special attack, speed, HP, defense, special defense

Mega Evolution stats: attack, defense, speed, special attack, HP, special defense

Moveset: Aerial Ace, Aqua Tail, Bite, Brick Break, Brutal Swing, Crunch, Defense Curl, Double-Edge, Double Team, Double-Edge, Draco Meteor, Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Rush, **Dragon Tail** , Ember, Endure, **Fire Blast** , Fire Fang, Flamethrower, Fly, Focus Energy, Headbutt, Hydro Pump, Hyper Beam, Iron Tail, **Laser Focus** , Leer, Protect, Return, Roar, Rock Tomb, Scary Face, Shadow Claw, **Steel Wing** , Stone Edge, Sunny Day, Tailwind, Thrash, Thunder Fang, Twister, Zen Headbutt

 

Altaria (F) - Humming Pokémon

Dex no: 334

Dex entry: If it bonds with someone, it will gently envelop them in its soft wings, then hum in a dream-inducing soprano voice. Its wings are like cotton clouds.

Mega Evolution dex entry: Its singing voice becomes even more beautiful than usual, the effects reaching wide as it gracefully glides through the sky, blending in with the clouds.

 _Battle!_ -magazine: Considered by many to be Master Katsuki’s ace Pokémon, Altaria looks deceptively gentle with her cottony wings, turning into a fierce opponent as she enters a battle. Her humming has soothed as many nerves, especially her trainer’s, as it has rendered opponents defenseless. You better watch out for that Draco Meteor when she Mega Evolves!

Gained: invited herself to the team as a Swablu after an attempt to cheer Yuuri up when he had lost to Wattson twice

Type: dragon/flying

Mega Evolution type: dragon/fairy

Ability: Natural Cure (all status problems heal upon being recalled into the PokéBall)

Mega Evolution ability: Pixilate (turns normal-type moves into fairy-type moves)

Nature: Mild (raised special attack, lowered defense, favors dry flavors and dislikes sour)

Character: strong willed (favors special defense)

Stats: special defense, defense, speed, HP, special attack, attack

Mega Evolution stats: special attack, attack, defense, special defense, speed, HP

Moveset: Aerial Ace, Agility, Astonish, Cotton Guard, Dazzling Gleam, Disarming Voice, Double Team, **Draco Meteor** , Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Rush, Dream Eater, Feather Dance, Flamethrower, Growl, Haze, Heat Wave, Hyper Beam, **Hyper Voice** , Ice Beam, Iron Tail, Mist, **Moonblast** , Natural Gift, Peck, Perish Song, Pluck, Protect, Psych Up, Pursuit, Refresh, Return, Round, **Safeguard** , Sing, Sky Attack, Solar Beam, Steel Wing, Sunny Day, Tailwind, Take Down, Uproar

 

Flygon (M) - Mystic Pokémon

Dex no: 330

Dex entry: It is known as “The Desert Spirit” because the rapid flapping of its wings sounds like a woman singing. Using its powerful wings, it whips up sandstorms to hide itself in.

 _Battle!_ -magazine: Unlike Master Katsuki’s other dragons, Flygon is a little smaller than average (if 1.87 meters can be called small), which apparently raises his speed stat to the max. Somewhat of a little brother to the others due to being the smallest team member, Flygon likes to play pranks on his teammates as much as he seeks comfort in Haxorus.

Gained: caught as a Trapinch in the desert on Route 111 in Hoenn

Type: ground/dragon

Ability: Levitate (immune to ground-type moves)

Nature: Naughty (raised attack, lowered special defense, favors spicy flavors and dislikes bitter)

Character: Alert to sounds (favors speed)

Stats: speed, attack, special attack, HP, defense, special defense

Moveset: Aerial Ace, Air Cutter, Bite, Bug Bite, Bug Buzz, Bulldoze, Brutal Swing, Confide, Crunch, Dig, Dragon Breath, **Dragon Claw** , Dragon Dance, Dragon Rush, Dragon Tail, Double Team, Earth Power, **Earthquake** , Endure, Feint Attack, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Focus Energy, Fury Cutter, Gust, Hyper Beam, Mud Shot, Mud-Slap, Quick Attack, Rock Slide, Sand Attack, Sand Tomb, **Sandstorm** , Screech, Signal Beam, Solar Beam, **Sonic Boom** , Sunny Day, Steel Wing, Stone Edge, Supersonic, Swagger, Toxic

 

Dragonite (F) - Dragon Pokémon

Dex no: 149

Dex entry: You’ll often hear tales of this kindhearted Pokémon rescuing people or Pokémon that are drowning. It flies over raging seas as if were nothing, and has hence been dubbed “the sea incarnate.”

 _Battle!_ -magazine: Famously known as the Pokémon to have taken down Master Wallace’s signature Milotic three times in the Pokémon League Tournament, Master Katsuki’s Dragonite is a force to reckoned with, strong enough to lift and fly around with Haxorus. Gentle and intelligent, she is often called Mama Dragon by fans.

Gained: caught as a Dratini in the Safari Zone in Kanto

Type: dragon/flying

Ability: Inner Focus (prevents flinching)

Nature: Brave (raised attack, lowered speed, favors spicy flavors and dislikes sweet)

Character: mischievous (favors special attack)

Stats: attack, special attack, special defense, defense, HP, speed

Moveset: Aerial Ace, Agility, Aqua Jet, Aqua Tail, Blizzard, Brick Break, Brutal Swing, Bulldoze, Double Team, **Double-Edge** , Dragon Breath, **Dragon Dance** , Dragon Pulse, Dragon Rush, Dragon Tail, Dynamic Punch, Earthquake, Extreme Speed, Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Fly, Focus Blast, Fury Cutter, Hurricane, Hyper Beam, Ice Beam, Icy Wind, **Iron Tail** , Leer, Light Screen, Mist, Rain Dance, Rock Slide, Safeguard, Shock Wave, Sky Drop, Slam, Steel Wing, Stone Edge, Sunny Day, Surf, Tailwind, Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Thunder, **Thunder Punch** , Twister, Water Pulse, Wing Attack, Wrap

 

Hydreigon (M) - Brutal Pokémon

Dex no: 635

Dex entry: It’s a violent, destructive Pokémon, and attacks anything that moves. The heads on the arms don’t have brains.

 _Battle!_ -magazine: Even when evolving from Zweilous to its final stage, Hydreigon never gained the sense of sight and is permanently blind. With a rough background and an aggressive nature, Master Katsuki has had his work cut out for him with the skittish dragon, who is the first to start growling when reporters approach. Its Pulse-moves are strong enough to cause earthquakes.

Gained: as a Deino from Iris at the Unovan dragon ranch

Type: dark/dragon

Ability: Levitate (immune to ground-type moves)

Nature: Rash (raised special attack, lowered special defense, favors dry flavors and dislikes bitter)

Character: quick tempered (favors attack)

Stats: special attack, attack, speed, HP, defense, special defense

Moveset: Acrobatics, Assurance, Astonish, Bite, Body Slam, Brutal Swing, Bulldoze, Charge Beam, Crunch, **Dark Pulse** , Dragon Breath, **Dragon Pulse** , Dragon Rage, Dragon Rush, Dragon Tail, Echoed Voice, Earth Power, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Fire Fang, Flash Cannon, Focus Blast, **Focus Energy** , Head Smash, Headbutt, Heat Wave, **Hyper Beam** , Hyper Voice, Ice Fang, Outrage, Payback, Protect, Reflect, Return, Roar, Rock Slide, Scary Face, Screech, Shock Wave, Signal Beam, Slam, Steel Wing, Thunder Fang, Toxic, Tri Attack, Work Up

 

 

Viktor’s team

 

Katya the Glaceon (F) - Fresh Snow Pokémon

Dex no: 471

Dex entry: It can control its body temperature at will. This allows it to freeze its fur, making it needle sharp, and even the atmosphere around it to create a flurry of diamond dust.

 _Spotlight_ -magazine: Katya might be small, but that doesn’t stop her from filling the stage with her presence every time she enters it. Named after her trainer’s mother, Top Coordinator Ekaterina, she put Top Coordinator Viktor on the contest-map before he even entered the Normal Rank.

Gained: found as an Eevee on the verge of passing away in the snow

Type: ice

Ability: Ice Body (gradually regains HP during hail)

Nature: Quiet (raised special attack, lowered speed, favors dry flavors and dislikes sweet)

Character: highly curious (favors special attack)

Stats: special attack, defense, special defense, HP, speed, attack

Moveset: Aqua Tail, Attract, **Aurora Veil** , Baby-Doll Eyes, Barrier, Bite, Blizzard, Captivate, Charm, Detect, Double Team, Echoed Voice, Endure, Fake Tears, **Frost Breath** , Hail, Heal Bell, Helping Hand, **Ice Beam** , Ice Fang, Ice Shard, Icy Wind, Mirror Coat, Mud-Slap, Natural Gift, Quick Attack, Protect, Rain Dance, Return, Round, Sand Attack, **Shadow Ball** , Signal Beam, Synchronoise, Tail Whip, Toxic, Water Pulse, Wish, Work Up

 

Alolan Ninetales (F) - Fox Pokémon

Dex no: 038

Dex entry: It can produce ice crystals on its fur for both offense and defense. It has a gentle temperament, and is known to help human in distress, but it is also territorial and will punish any threat to its domain.

 _Spotlight_ -magazine: Stunningly beautiful, Top Coordinaor Viktor’s undeniable ace Pokémon keeps enchanting the audience time and time again with breathtaking routines and unmatched grace. A rarity even in Alola and naturally intelligent and territorial, she’s fiercely loyal to her trainer and her teammates.

Gained: as a Vulpix that Viktor’s father brought with him from Alola as a gift to his son

Type: ice/fairy

Ability: Snow Cloak (raises evasion during hail)

Nature: Calm (raised special defense, lowered attack, favors bitter flavors and dislikes spicy)

Character: likes to run (favors speed)

Stats: speed, special defense, special attack, defense, HP, attack

Moveset: Agility, Aqua Tail, Attract, (Aurora Beam), Aurora Veil, (Baby-Doll Eyes), Blizzard, Calm Mind, Charm, Confuse Ray, Dark Pulse, **Dazzling Gleam** , **Double Team** , Dream Eater, Extrasensory, Freeze-Dry, Frost Breath, **Hail** , Heal Bell, Howl, **Hypnosis** , Ice Beam, Ice Shard, Moonblast, Nasty Plot, Payback, Poison Powder, Psyshock, Return, Round, Safeguard, Stun Spore, Tail Slap, (Tail Whip)

 

Lapras (F) - Transport Pokémon

Dex no: 131

Dex entry: They were once near extinction due to poaching, but following protective regulations, their numbers are rising again. They’re gentle and intelligent, they understand human speech, and like to ferry people on their backs.

 _Spotlight_ -magazine: While she doesn’t enter the contest stage, Lapras enters every battle with calm determination, cleanly and skillfully putting her opponents in place one after the other. Top Coordinator Viktor confirms her to be the Team Mother, the rest of the team looking to her opinion the most when trying to decide something or settle a disagreement.

Gained: a gift from Wallace when Viktor left Sootopolis for Snowbelle to train with Lilia and Yakov

Type: water/ice

Ability: Water Absorb (restores HP if hit by a water-type move)

Nature: Relaxed (raised defense, lowered speed, favors sour flavors and dislikes sweet)

Character: likes to relax (favors HP)

Stats: HP, special defense, attack, special attack, defense, speed

Moveset: Ancient Power, Avalanche, Blizzard, **Body Slam** , Brine, Bulldoze, Confuse Ray, Dive, Dragon Dance, Dragon Pulse, Dream Eater, Drill Run, Echoed Voice, Foresight, Freeze-Dry, Frost Breath, Future Sight, Hail, Heal Bell, **Horn Drill** , **Hydro Pump** , Ice Beam, Ice Shard, Iron Tail, **Mist** , Protect, Psychic, Rain Dance, Refresh, Safeguard, Shock Wave, Signal Beam, Sing, Sleep Talk, Smart Strike, Surf, Thunderbolt, Water Pulse, Waterfall, Whirlpool, Zen Headbutt

 

Froslass (F) - Snow Land Pokémon

Dex no: 478

Dex entry: It freezes foes with an icy breath, and what seems to be its body is actually hollow. Legends in snowy regions say that a woman who was lost on an icy mountain was reborn as Froslass.

 _Spotlight_ -magazine: Top Coordinator Viktor claims Froslass to be playful and co-operative, but on the stage and in battle, she’s downright mischievous and eerie, keeping the audience on their toes with nerve-tickling routines and surprising moves. “Beautifully scary” has become a term heavily associated with her.

Gained: a ready-to-evolve female Snorunt followed Viktor home

Type: ice/ghost

Ability: Cursed Body (may disable a move used on the Pokémon)

Nature: Hasty (raised speed, lowered defense, favors sweet flavors and dislikes sour)

Character: mischievous (favors special attack)

Stats: speed, special attack, attack, HP, special defense, defense

Moveset: Astonish, Attract, Aurora Veil, Avalanche, Blizzard, Captivate, Confide, **Confuse Ray** , Destiny Bond, Double Team, Draining Kiss, Dream Eater, Fake Tears, Frost Breath, Hail, Hex, Ice Beam, Ice Punch, Ice Shard, Icy Wind, Leer, Light Screen, **Ominous Wind** , Payback, **Powder Snow** , Protect, Psychic, Return, Round, Safeguard, Shadow Ball, **Shock Wave** , Swagger, Telekinesis, Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Torment, Wake-Up Slap, Will-O-Wisp

 

Weavile (M) - Sharp Claw Pokémon

Dex no: 461

Dex entry: It communicates with other Weavile by clawing signs into boulders. A scratch from its claws causes frostbite.

 _Spotlight_ -magazine: Lightning-fast and highly mischievous, Weavile has been the downfall of many an opponent in battle, and has also won his fair share of routine-rounds, though he favors the former. Top Coordinator Viktor tells him to be Froslass’ best friend, and definitely the troublemaker of the group. He advices to praise Weavile’s feathers to get on his good side.

Gained: Sneasel was deeply in awe of Viktor’s newly evolved Froslass, and joined the team after a sparring session with Viktor’s father

Type: dark/ice

Ability: Pressure (for the story: moves used several times by the opponent gradually weaken/lose power)

Nature: Naughty (raised attack, lowered special defense, favors spice flavors and dislikes bitter)

Character: impetuous and silly (favors speed)

Stats: speed, attack, special defense, HP, defense, special attack

Moveset: Aerial Ace, Assurance, Bite, Brick Break, Confide, Counter, Crush Claw, Double Team, Facade, Feint Attack, Foresight, Focus Punch, Foul Play, **Fury Swipes** , Hail, **Hone Claws** , Ice Punch, Ice Shard, **Icicle Crash** , Icy Wind, Leer, Low Kick, Low Sweep, Metal Claw, Nasty Plot, **Night Slash** , Quick Attack, Payback, Poison Jab, Protect, Punishment, Return, Revenge, Scratch, Screech, Shadow Claw, Taunt, Throat Chop, Torment, X-Scissor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, if you scroll down a little, and click yourself to the next part of The Ice Prince and the Dragon Master-series, you’ll find the first step into the continuation of the journey started here.
> 
> See you in Lilycove! Or, actually, on the outskirts of Rustboro…

**Author's Note:**

> Fanart inspired by this fic, made by the lovely [kazemizuki](https://kazemizuki.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr! ^.^  
> Yuuri's favorite [poster](https://kazemizuki.tumblr.com/post/161029672349/for-idunaurora-s-amazing-fic-competing-for-your) of Viktor.  
> Viktor's [swimwear](https://kazemizuki.tumblr.com/post/161040949739/more-fanart-for-idunaurora-not-a-scene-in) \- this is perfect! x) <3

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Love in the Contest Hall](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12353592) by [Diam_Senpai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diam_Senpai/pseuds/Diam_Senpai)
  * [Their first pokemon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11148957) by [Sol_Victoria](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sol_Victoria/pseuds/Sol_Victoria)




End file.
